Stuttgart, Dec 2022

Earlier this month we took 8 performers to Stuttgart, Germany to support the opening of the Lab 3 taonga māori exhibition at the Linden Museum aptly named; Across Time, Place and People, Whakawhānaungatanga Connecting tāonga Māori.

A beautiful collection & honour to work with the curators who travelled from Aotearoa, Awhina Tamarapa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Pikiao) a museum curator and writer in the field of museum studies, Dougal Austin (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha) a senior curator Matauranga Māori at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and University of Auckland doctoral student Justine Treadwell, whose PhD is on 18th century Māori cloaks in European collections. And also the Linden Museum staff. The team lead, Associate Professor Ngarino Ellis (Ngapuhi, Ngāti Porou), an art historian specialising in Māori art, was unable to attend in person.

We first had a dawn ceremony to open the exhibition to awaken the taonga & let them know we were all there for them. Later in the evening we had a 50minute performance in the auditorium as part of the exhibition opening events.

The Linden Museum has a permanent collection of more than 100 taonga Māori, including a wharenui.

It was a privilege to be part of such an auspicious event & see taonga Māori as far on this side of the world as we are.