"Tika? reimagines the Matariki tradition of Hautapu, where baskets of food from the land, rivers and seas are cooked and opened after a series of karakia. The steam rises from these baskets to feed the stars in thanks for how they provide for us.
A through line of tradition within Te Ao Māori is adaptation; practices have continually evolved alongside new technologies and changing ways of living. In Tika?, Matariki takes on various forms and rises over small local takeaway shops, dairies, and in publicly accessible ngāhere around Central Wellington. This work is a mihi to the way that the people of Aotearoa interact with te taiao and connect with their communities in the ever changing landscape of modern life.
Tika? looks both to the past and evolving present; the work uses clay and roasting string in reference to hāngī, where food is cooked in pits in the earth. Meanwhile, the use of video and layering speaks to themes of whakapapa and adapting storytelling to emerging technologies." - Anahera Totoro
