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Ruaki Pōuri.
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Manu Taua.
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Nikau's studio.
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Ruaki Pōuri
This series explores into the many shades of Te Pō – the profound phase of darkness in the Māori Creation story. Te Pō Nui, Te Pō Roa, Te Pōuriuri, Te Pō Kerekere, Te Pō Tē-Kitea, Te Pō Tangotango... The Great Night, the Long Solitary Darkness, the Deepest Black, the Intense Unseeing Night, the Engulfing, Erasing Darkness. This is a darkness that feels unending, yet, as Nikau reminds us, all phases eventually transform and pass.
Created with both urgency and deep care, this series has emerged as pairs or dichotomies, from a process that is both instinctive and meditative. These pieces reflect many returns: to practice, to self, and to the threads the artist has been weaving for over a decade. Each piece speaks to that slow, reverent labour, offering a space to reflect, to remember, and to reconnect.
Materials and Contributors
Some of the aute (paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera) came from Nikau's teacher Wesley Sen who lives in O'ahu. He harvested these older trees for Nikau in 2022. There is a mix of aute from different groves in Aotearoa from Takahue, in Te Tai Tokerau, to Te Henga, Bethells and Mangere, South Auckland. The white aute was harvested by Tamari Cabeikanacea in Fiji. All of the aute was beaten and processed by Nikau Hindin.
The kōkōwai (red ochre) was harvested in Tai Tokerau, Maui and Kuarna/Adelaide with tangata whenua
The ngārahu (soot ink) was made by burning kauri gum that was gifted by Te Hira Moewaka Latimer
The kerewhenua (yellow ochre) is from Te Tai Tokerau
The tānekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) was harvested and processed with guidance from Ruth Woodbury
The pukepoto (blue earth pigment) is from Te Waipounamu and was gifted by Isaac Te Awa
The brackets are made of sapele mahogany and were produced by Amelia Fagence -
