Tiaki

to guard, to care, to watch, to protect

by: Gina Ropiha

Tiaki means to guard, to care for, to watch, to provide protection and safeguard. The works in this exhibition seek to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the life affirming, generous, positive, expansive nature and inspiration of culture, of family, of life and this moment, as we move through the grief and questions of the recent past.

In 2021 the theme for International Women’s Day was ‘Choose to Challenge’ and the prompts given were:

A challenged world is an alert world and form challenge comes change. So lets all choose to challenge. How will you help to forge a gender equal world? Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

I considered these words as a marker, a gauge, a rallying point, a proposition and an invitation. At the time the relevance and power for everyone in those phrases -for women first, but for all individuals and people generally was palpable. Since then the tides have turned again and it seems even more urgent to be vigilant, loving and fierce in the creation of shelter and safety for all women. Tiaki was born from an Open Studio Residency at Blak Dot in 2021 through the support of Merry Bek (Moreland) City Council.

Gina Ropiha

Gina Ropiha (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Raukawa/Ngāti Rakau) is a practising artist who hails from Heretaunga (Hastings) and is based in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). Gina is a Māori textile artist working primarily with found and repurposed objects, Ropiha’s art reflects her experience addressing the harsh realities and tests of living as an Indigenous woman within colonised lands, while trying to maintain a sense of Māoritanga (Māori culture) and grace.

Ropiha was an Artist in Residence at the Australian Tapestry Workshop 2017, she has exhibited locally and internationally . She has been teaching and tutor in arts education for over 20 years.

insta: @ginaropiha