Māori for generations have used carving to pass down stories, events and issues of the time to preserve for future generations.
Now the art of stone carving is being revitalised as a tool to carry stories of the present, in a new art exhibition in Wellington, Pōhatu Roa.
Artists from across Aotearoa and the Pacific have collated their pieces to showcase their stories told through stone.
Neke Moa (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Ahuriri, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Whare o Papaīra) specialises in pounamu and uses traditional and contemporary techniques to create her art.
She says there is a spiritual connection when working with stone.
“There’s a real grounding and sense of belonging with kōhatu, and everyone loves kōhatu, picking up stones, they’re around, there’s this solidness. They carry such a mauri, they are one of the things that can carry mauri, and it can change. They can just change, they don’t stay the same, they may look like they stay the same, but they actually have a change within them too.”
Stone carving
Māori use materials like pounamu, wood, bone and many others to carve stories, ancestors, pendants and more. This modern take on traditional means of transmitting knowledge has similar features.
Artist Chris Charteris (Kiribati, Fijian, Pākehā) says he has had to develop unique techniques as a stone carver, due to the lack of stone on the Kiribati island, but says it has been a challenge worth taking on.
With Aotearoa having a deep history chiseled in stone carving, Charteris is excited to have his work displayed in the exhibition.
“We’ve got traditions that go back centuries working with stone, and I’m surprised that this hasn’t been done before. I think it’s going to be the beginning of things to come with shows like this.”
Pōhatu Roa
The Pōhatu Roa: Stories in Stone exhibition is displaying the works of seven artists who touch on topics like whānau memories, modern day objects like USB cords, clothes pegs and others.
Exhibition curator Karl Chitham (Ngāpuhi, Te Uriroroi) says the exhibition is a follow-up to a 30-year-long absence of stone carving from art museums.
He says, despite the simplicity of the material, the detail of the work is a craft.
“One of the artists carved tiny eggshells out of Graywacke, a material that just doesn’t go together. Whereas other carvers have used water blasting, sand blasting and lots of other types of technology.”
The exhibition will be on display until August 10, offering visitors an experience of traditional storytelling with a contemporary twist.
