Tūturu Kāenga exhibition: George and Brook Konia.
Opening preview: Friday 14 August, 6pm - 8pm.
Running: 15 August - 10 October 2026
Tūturu Kāenga is an exhibition by father and son, George Konia and Brook Konia.
Inspired by a road trip together along Highway 35 and wānanga at Hinerupe Marae, Te Araroa, in 2025. They each carried stories home, letting them inspire their creativity to become the artworks in this exhibition.
E ai ki te whakatauāki “Hei a koe i te huka o te tai ki te ao parauri. Ko te ahi e kā mai rā, kaua e tineia koe. Waiho he mahi ahi mō tō kāenga.”
The above whakatauākī (proverb) is remembered as the words spoken by tipuna, elder sister Te Aopare to younger sister Hinerupe. This whakatauākī encapsulates warmth, a welcome home, and life of the hearth - a source of identity and connection, and anchors this exhibition for the artists.
About the artists:
George Konia is a stronghold for his whānau, and well known Whangārei community member through his martial arts background and career in supermarkets and grocery merchandise across Te Tai Tokerau Northland. Ever multitalented, he continues to develop his art making by drawing on his experiences and storytelling abilities.
Brook Konia’s art making is relational, engaging with objects, materials and lived happenings as interconnected carriers of kōrero. From his time completing his Master of Māori Visual Arts (First Class Honours) at Toioho ki Āpiti, Pūtahi a Toi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in 2023, the tī kōuka has continued to be a core part to his practice. As the tī kōuka summons meanings of fishing, kai, rongoā, and as an enduring symbol of occupation, it grounds his work in whakapapa.
E tahutahu kau ana te waka o Horouta
E tū ana te maunga o Whetumatarau
E rere ana te awa o Awatere
ki te tai o Kawakawa mai Tāwhiti
Anei rā te marae o Hinerupe
E tangi nei he uri o Te Whānau a Hinerupe
Tēnei te ringa o Ngāti Porou
Nō te whānau Konia māua
Tēnā rā koutou katoa.