One day I Will Come Back to You was first shown in the group exhibition Nectar at Mangere Arts Centre Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, Auckland in 2019. "The eight artists draw on their own cultural backgrounds to celebrate female figures from myths and legends." —Māngere Arts Centre / Ngā Tohu o Uenuku.
"Hine-nui-te-pō was the daughter of the god Tāne and the earth-formed maiden Hine-ahu-one. She is spoken in Māori legend as the great woman of the night and goddess of the dead. Hine-nui-te-po bore several children by Tāne, before discovering his true paternal relationship to her. Overcome with despair, she retreats to the underworld/pō (darkness). There she takes her name Hine-nui-te-pō, acquiring men's souls while her father Tāne tries to lead them to light.
In 'One Day I Will Come Back to You', Apelu explores the mythology surrounding Hine-nui-te-pō as an inevitability of returning to the origin of the darkness, starting in the womb and then returning when it is time. Elements of Maui such as the lizard, the fantail and Hine-nui-te-pō are connected in the work. The moment when the fantail sings, Hine-nui-te-pō is awakened and the thunder signals the point of return and the call of being welcomed home."
