Ngā Atua ō Matariki

A body painting exhibition of Ngā Atua ō te Matariki star-cluster presented at Pātaka Museum of Arts and Culture; this series celebrates the Māori New Year through contemporary tinana mahi toi on tangata whenua. 

This 5 week exhibit provides a range of community interactions such as painting demonstrations, exclusive behind the scenes snapshots, activities for tamariki, and face painting workshops every Saturday.

This body of work is dedicated to my late father Pitaarangaōtemahita Rongopai who is currently completing his journey on Te Waka o Rangi; Matariki 2026 will be the completion of his journey. 

• Project manager: Bella Cole
• Creative Assistant: Patricia Williams
• Photography: Glenn Evans
• Assistant Photography: Cameron Berry
• BTS videography: Daniel Ciapa
• Lighting Tech: Ily Labaznova
• General Assistant: Connor Cornell
• + 9 wonderful models.

This team of eclectic creatives come together to offer each of their talents to make this project thrive. 

The money raised from this campaign will go towards the following:

• Crew: paying the crew & models for their hard mahi.
• Marketing: posters, printing stars for colouring, fliers, stickers, cards.
• Production: building the frames, backing.
• Lighting: lighting in the frames, glowing lights to illuminate figures.
• Venue hire: both Pātaka & art spaces
  
  Anything else goes to kai for the photoshoot days, funding for extra props, and kai for the opening event. 

Ngā Atua ō Matariki is a visually striking body of work that illuminates the long Pataka Bottle Creek space with 9 framed & glowing photographs of each of the Atua of the Matariki cluster. Each model is painted to embody the strengths of each star, and what they reflect. 

On the opposite wall is a portrait of Pitaarangaotemahita Rongopai resting before he completes his journey on Te Waka o Rangi. Tamariki & whanau will have the option to sit and colour in stars & make a wish to stick on the wall next to Pita for him to take with him when he moves on. 

There will be a dedicated play area for the community to sit and colour, where we will also see the behind the scenes photos of the project coming to life. This space will also host the hour long face painting workshops every Saturday midday.

This project invites the community to come together to celebrate history through creative action. 

Featuring photographs, offering opportunities to create artworks to display alongside Pitaarangaotemahita’s portrait, and other creative showcases, the exhibition invites participants into a communal hub of artistic expression celebrating Matariki. 

The exhibition reimagines the cycle that traces the path of yearly renewal - the wairua within whanau that brings us together each New Year while our ancestors watch over us. Tāiki e!