Kahukura Gallery
Gisborne
Kahukura Gallery is Gisborne's newest Art Gallery. Established in December 2007, by Gallery owner Ngaroimata Winiata from her home base, it is situated in busy Ormond Road, Gisborne. The Gallery/Home is an interesting newly refurbished former church come grocery store. Opening Kahukura Gallery fulfils a long held dream of Ngaroimata's to have a Maori owned and operated business… with a difference.
Kahukura is a kaupapa Maori Gallery. Ngaroimata explains the value system this encompasses for her… Manaakitanga, or the creation of an environment where hospitality is foremost. Far from being a gallery only showing work by Maori artists; Kahukura is a space where Ngaroimata imagines community groups, emerging artists and well-known artists alike can feel comfortable showing their work. To this end she has been reaching out to community groups and artists from Gisborne and beyond, with the intention of showing a range and breadth of works. Manaakitanga also cross polinates with Kotahitanga, the idea that people come first. Kaitiakitanga is guardianship in relation to a persons own intrinsic values and Tino Rangatiratanga - self determination.
Kahukura is also a family space. From the outset Ngaroimata wanted this business to involve her family. Her children help to man the gallery - something that she was very keen to encourage. Although from the Tai Tokerau, Ngaroimata's children are Ngati Porou, they whakapapa to the Jose Manuel whanau of Rangitukia. So Ngaroimata decided a move to Gisborne was in order, so as to give her children the opportunity to mix with their wider whanau. The children are loving it here, fulfilling another of her dreams.
Ngaroimata has commissioned a piece of street art for the exterior wall of her Gallery. It promises to be a colourful display of ideas and is to be created by Kane "Scream" Smith of Kapiti and Ivan "Cast" Mueller from South Africa. The work is being made on Tuesday February 5th, 2008 in time for Kahukura's second opening "Ka whawhai tonu matou - the struggle continues", an exhibition about Protest and Partnership.
You can contact Ngaroimata at Kahukura Gallery on:
34 Ormond Road
Whataupoko
Gisborne
06 868 7095
Opening hours:
10 - 4pm sat/sun
weekdays by appointment