Te Kōkako

Ko tā Te Maari he kohikohi i ngā mea paku, i ngā mea whai tikanga – he ahanoa iti noa, he kupu, he whakataukī, he maramara pepa – ki a ia ko ngā taipitopito mahake rawa he ara torohū ki ngā ao tē mōhiotia, ao porehu. Ko tā ēnei toi he whakaatu i ngā tamariki a Tāne e manaakitia ana e te Atua o te Ngahere i tētahi hākari wheriko mā te hunga i karangahia motuhaketia anake. Kua uru atu ēnei tipua ki te whare whakairi taonga, e mau kākahu whakamīharo ana, ko te mahi he ngunungunu i waenganui i ngā toi huri noa ki te tatari ki te karanga. Nā Te Maari anō ia i ako, ka mutu ko ia tētahi o te kāhui tokomaha he ringa rehe rātou hei mahi i te tāniko, i te tukutuku, i te tui, i te nitiniti, i te tuimāwhai, i te tui whakaniko. I roto i te *Manu Figures*, 2018–ongoing, kua tāpirihia ngā āhua āhuahanga muramura o te toi Māori i runga i ngā kākahu o aua tipua

A collector of small but interesting things – objects, words, proverbs, mischievous scraps of paper – Te Maari envisages the tiniest details as proffering secret pathways to unknown, mysterious worlds. These works imagine the children of Tāne at a glittering invitation-only reception hosted by the Lord of the Forest. Dressed to kill, the playful and mysterious semi-human participants infiltrate the gallery space in anticipation of their call. A self-taught artist, Te Maari is one of many in a long line of expert makers practised in traditional textile and fibre arts such as tāniko (finger weaving), tukutuku (lattice work panels), sewing, knitting, crochet and embroidery. In *Manu Figures*, she incorporates the strong geometric forms of Māori pattern-making.

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