Te Aroaro o Hine-nui-te-pō

Artist: Anahera Lewis Kemara

Title: Te Aroaro o Hine-nui-te-pō | In the Presence of Hine-nui-te-pō

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions: 61cm x 91.5cm

Artwork kōrero

This work draws from the Māori pūrākau (traditional story) of Māui and Hine-nui-te-pō, exploring the space between te ao (the world of light) and te pō (the world of darkness) - the boundary between life and death.

In the pūrākau, Māui seeks to overcome death and bring eternal life to humankind. Taking the form of a mokomoko (lizard), he enters Hine-nui-te-pō as she sleeps. The laughter of the tīrairaka (fantail) awakens her, ending Māui's journey and leaving death as part of the human experience.

Māui is subtly hidden within the landscape as a mokomoko, the patterns moving through the scene. The painting represents his transformation and passage towards Hine-nui-te-pō. While the sharp tāniko forms represent the teeth of Hine-nui-te-pō and the boundary between life and death.

Rather than portraying Māui's death as an ending, I wanted this painting to depict Māui's journey, transformation, and whakapapa (genealogy and connection).