He Taniwha, He Tipua

He Taniwha, He Tipua explores narratives of taniwha in Te Ao Māori. This exhibition brings together a collective of three Toi Māori practitioners; Madison Redman (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa/Ngāpuhi), Fern Ngatai (Ngāti Porou/Tainui) and Tristan Marler (Te Rarawa/Te Aupōuri) to express the diverse representations and symbolic significance of taniwha across Aotearoa. 

Through the lens of pūrākau and Toi Māori He Taniwha, He Tipua examines the origins, guardianship roles, and relationships of taniwha with different iwi, hapū and landscapes across the motu. These themes will be explored through a variety of mediums; paint, print, raranga and sculpture

Madison Redman (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa/Ngāpuhi) - Madison works full-time in Titirangi, where she was born and raised, as a multidisciplinary artist, with a practice including tā moko, painting, raranga (weaving) and printmaking, expressing themes around Māori cosmologies through these interwoven mediums.  

Madison reinterprets this knowledge, drawing inspiration from pūrākau, forms and patterns found in traditional carving, painting, kōwhaiwhai and tukutuku/tāniko through a contemporary lens, paying tribute to, and honouring our Tūpuna and Ātua.
 

Fern Ngatai (Ngāti Porou/Tainui) - Fern was born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, west Auckland on the whenua of Te Kawerau ā Maki. Fern’s dream was to be a dancer. She has a strong background in dance, winning titles and teaching overseas but her true calling led her to mahi toi and tā moko. 

Fern fell in love with traditional carvings, how they tell a story by just looking at them. From a young age, she knew she would follow a path of mahi toi inspired by; connection, movement, colour, culture, storytelling, listening, manifesting, whānau, friendship and creating.
 

Tristan Marler (Te Rarawa/Te Aupouri) - A multi-disciplinary artist, Tristan is trained in Whakairo Rākau (traditional Maori wood carving) and specialises in Tā Moko (traditional Māori Tattooing). 

Tristan’s painting and printmaking practice blend his knowledge and experience to create bold, visually striking works, drawing on his rich cultural heritage, seeking to honour the past and explore the future of Toi Māori; to preserve and perpetuate traditional Māori arts and crafts.

• Rangahau (research)
• Skill acquisition 
• Materials

We want to test how traditional Māori narratives can be reimagined through contemporary approaches—combining natural and industrial materials, learning and exploring new skills and mediums, and having the option to start hosting wānanga spaces to pass these skills and knowledge on to future generations. These experiments involve uncertainty and challenge, but they are essential for growth: We want to push our practice beyond refinement of existing skills and into genuine innovation, where the outcomes are unknown until the process unfolds.

By focusing on taniwha; beings associated with transformation and boundary-crossing, this project becomes a metaphor for our own artistic journeys. It will allow us to develop new visual languages, create work that holds cultural integrity while engaging with global contemporary art dialogues, and establish a stronger platform for future exhibitions and collaborations.

Project timeline:

December 2025 - March 2026

• Rangahau & skill development

April 2026 - June 2026

• Creating works for exhibition and hosting wānanga

This project will evolve our creative practices by allowing us to expand into new mediums such as mahi uku and large-scale installation, while continuing to deepen our grounding in tā moko and whakairo. Working with the kaupapa of 'He Taniwha, He Tipua' will push us to explore new ways of embodying kōrero tuku iho through contemporary art, strengthening both our technical and conceptual voice.

For the artform, we see this work contributing to the evolution of Toi Māori by demonstrating how traditional forms can be adapted and revitalised within a contemporary framework. By experimenting with materials and methods that sit outside of my current practice, we will create works that challenge and extend the boundaries of what Māori art can look like today—while remaining rooted in whakapapa and tikanga.

Ultimately, this evolution is about reciprocity—growing artists while giving back to the people and places that shape our practice.