Artwork Information

Whakapapa, Birth & Death is an important painting from Robyn Kahukiwa's series of three paintings that respond to the sudden death of her husband, Dooley Kahukiwa. The painting gives expression to the Māori ritual of tangihana and reinforces Māori cultural beliefs and concepts specific to birth and death. Robyn's treatment of the subject of tangi offers an entry point into a philosophical understanding that death is an inclusive and continuous process of reconnection with ancestors who are regularly reborn into new generations.

Robyn has been active in celebrating the strength and vitality of whakapapa Māori and has consistently made paintings that celebrate the Māori world-view. In this way, Robyn's viewpoints narrate cultural values.