Hautāmiro: Bound by the Winds

By Mataaho Collective Experience the internationally acclaimed Mataaho Collective's monumental installation Hautāmiro, a powerful exploration of weaving, movement, innovation and maatauranga Maaori. Hautāmiro stretches across the gallery like an unfurled kaakahu, drawing inspiration from hukahuka whakaraakei, the decorative adornments of customary Maaori cloaks. Combining muka, wool and fencing components, the installation creates a striking immersive environment where past, present and future are woven together. The work is guided by the ancestral narratives of Tokohurunuku, Tokohururangi, Tokohurumawake and Tokohuruatea, the four winds and children of Huruteaarangi. Sent to the edges of the sky to stand as pou separating Ranginui and Papatuuaanuku, these ancestral figures provide the conceptual foundation for an installation that explores connection, movement and relationships across time and space. Hautāmiro is on loan from the collection of Dunedin Public Art Gallery, where Mataaho Collective created the installation as the Gallery’s Toi Aotearoa Creative New Zealand 2025 Visiting Artists. Presented alongside Ripoi Anamata, Ripoi Inamata, Mataaho Collective was invited by the whaanau working group to showcase their internationally acclaimed work and extend the exploration of inter-generational weaving knowledge. While Ripoi Anamata, Ripoi Inamata celebrates the remarkable legacy of the Hetet and Te Kanawa whaanau, Hautāmiro demonstrates how contemporary Maaori artists continue to reinterpret and evolve weaving traditions today. Hautāmiro was chosen because it stretches across the gallery like an unfurled kaakahu, creating a compelling dialogue between customary and contemporary weaving practices to celebrate both the legacy of the Hetet and Te Kanawa whaanau and the ongoing evolution of raranga in Aotearoa. Established in 2012, Mataaho Collective comprises Erena Baker-Arapere, Sarah Hudson, Bridget Reweti and Dr Terri Te Tau. The collective has earned international recognition for large-scale textile installations that centre Maaori perspectives, histories and forms of knowledge. In 2024 they became the first artists from Aotearoa to receive the prestigious Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale.