Recently opened at Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History is Aupiki, the first solo weaving exhibition by Manaia Carswell (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine), a celebration of whakapapa, toi Māori, resilience and creativity.
“Aupiki means to ascend,” Manaia says. “It speaks to my haerenga over the past few years, not only in my raranga practice, but as a wahine Māori.”
The exhibition traces her journey through a striking collection of korowai, kete and sculptural woven taonga. Each piece carries its own narrative, grounded in tikanga Māori and shaped by Manaia’s lived experience.
“Aupiki is how I see the world,” she says. “It’s an expression of my whakaaro, my whakapapa, and my aroha. These pieces are very personal.”
Manaia’s path into weaving began through loss. When her mother passed away in 2016, she felt untethered from her connection to te ao Māori.
Her search led her to an online course with The Hetet School of Māori Art. What began as beginner-level learning quickly became an all-consuming passion.
Manaia is particularly proud that her taonga runs alongside the display of Te Waka Wairua o Kurahaupō, the reimagined ancestral canoe for many of the region’s iwi. The waka is on view until 26 July and is part of the upcoming Tino Rangitānetanga Iwi exhibition that begins in the first week of May.
Aupiki by Manaia Carswell runs until Sunday, 31 May
Te Waka Wairua o Kurahaupō, is on view until 26 July.
