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Exhibition accompanying essay for Kia ora Whaea - Corban Estate Arts Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau
“Yeah he is nine now (how did that happen?) and I take my smaller sort-of double to art galleries sometimes. I would like to tell you that he goes willingly, wide-eyed and hungry for it but the truth is sometimes I bribe him with Angry BirdsTM and ice-cream promises. “Oh Muuuuuum” he says, exasperated, drawing out the “aaaaah” between the ms, in his sassy, sing-song, pleading, maybe even mocking kind of way. One time, we went to a show about things missing and he said something like “This one is my favourite. It’s like it’s glitching out. Like the person who made it is playing games with us but we kind of know what it is because of the colours. It makes me feel weird. Like someone’s watching me” and then he said “Ok can we go now?” and I stood there for a second a little bit dumbfounded, a little bit impressed, and a little bit hōhā all at once like “Who even are you?” I wanted to say “Tell me what you think of all of them though, every single one, I want to know I need to know” but instead I said “Yeah, okay” and I started counting my change to see if we had enough for two scoops of salted caramel ice-cream on the way back to the car.“
from “māmā | maru” for Kia Ora Whaea exhibition (Corban Estate Arts Centre)
Ngā mihi to the amazing artists for their mahi and for the opportunity to try wrangle these past ten years of thoughts into something x and as always all the aroha to my tama for teaching me all the things (including obscure mokonui facts and the net worths of various YouTubers as well as all the existential life things on the daily) x