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Our kōrero
Nestled in Ōhinehou, Rei is a space for Māori and non-Māori to find common ground, to create not just art, but mutual aid between each other, to make amends with the past and centre Te Ao Māori (the Māori world). We want society to see the ways in which contribution is meaningful, how creative work can be realised collectively, and find ways of how we might shape our future together
As an extension of Whakaraupō Carving Centre, the idea behind Rei is to include individuals and groups from all backgrounds who are a part of Te Ao Māori. We aim to create pathways and opportunities for rangatahi who show an affinity for toi Māori, and increase it’s visibility in te Waiopunamu..
How might we reconfigure space and land into places of solidarity, collectivism, and social creativity.
When a conglomeration of painters, carvers, weavers, and poets contribute their piece to the whole, Te Kore magnifies in which it can speak volumes among those who receive it. This is what we think of as social creativity, ways in which modes of the past might be reignited and innovative ideas of tomorrow can be put on the table. If we consider the fact that carvers of rākau, the rangatira of toi, were once called in in numbers to their neighbouring iwi to create structures of the collective unit, whether it be a wharenui or a waka, how might we rekindle artistry as a means to appoint collective action.
Can we rethink what it means to be an artist?
When we know the hapū of te Waipounamu made the conscious choice to move seasonally, in tune with the cyclic nature of Papatūānuku, and not against her, might we see and learn how modes of regeneration are required over exploitation. Rei isn’t necessarily a place to celebrate production, it’s a place for ideas and for cooperation, a potent kaupapa to cultivate knowledge, to self-govern, to imagine new possibilities in how we can relate to each other.
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GALLERY
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GALLERY ❯
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We need to abandon the notion that only a handful of artists will be remembered and appreciated in the long trajectory of time. We need to realise Te Kore, untapped potential, exists in each being from the moment they’re born. By applying this, real change might be a possibility. Creative work is meant to be shared, that is what the artist does, they share. This is why we created Rei, a collective of artists not to simply place crafts in gift shops and perhaps one day make the big break, but rather to have truths recognised and social creativity possible.
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