For Aroha Ki Te Tangata - The Changing Room, Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Chevron Hassett presents a striking sculptural installation featuring a carved atamira (Māori platform) and lace fretwork at the gallery entrance.
Drawing on the traditional role of the atamira as a space for sharing stories and ideas, Hassett reimagines its form to reflect the postwar migration of Māori communities into urban areas. His work blends traditional whakairo (carving) with elements of colonial architecture, continuing his exploration of urban indigeneity.
Hassett has been learning traditional carving techniques, using kauri and totara timber salvaged from demolished homes in Northland and Herne Bay. His piece, Aroha Ki Te Tangata, honours the original purpose of these materials—symbolising care, shelter, and community. The sculpture’s floorboards are inscribed with uplifting kupu (words): whakapono (faith), tūmanako (hope), and aroha (love), referencing Howard Morrison’s 1995 rendition of Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art).
Visitors are invited to sit or lie on the atamira, offering a moment of rest and reflection on personal foundations and ancestral sacrifice.
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