Rākau is a creative conversation with native trees of Aotearoa.
A pathway of reconnection back to the whenua (earth) and taiao (environment) through our native trees. A welcome to all, to live in harmony with the taiao, it is a journey to the innate creativity that lives in all of us.
Rākau is an exhibition of artworks created by Jo Tito that utilises 100% native trees. Each artwork is an exploration of native tree dyes on harakeke paper, an intuitive creative process that draws on the artist’s connection to native trees and the observations she has made through her camera and words.
He toi rākau, he ihumanea. Ko te hononga atu o te tangata ki ngā rākau, he kohinga mātauranga kia tukuna atu ki te ao.
Ngā mihi nui ki a Toi Aotearoa - Creative NZ mo te pūtea tautoko.
Thankyou to Creative NZ for supporting this project.
When my niece passed away Nov 2021, her passing helped me realise the meaning of this work. That we are born to live on this whenua…
This work talks about our evolution from fish and the importance of breath and the support structures in our bodies that support breath.
Tukutuku rākau - a work with many layers that slowly emerged over time, it speaks about the many stories of our rākau Māori embedded in our lives and landscapes.
Harakeke for me is a journey, a reconnection back to who I am. Above and below the whenua it is buzzing with life and I am forever grateful for the many gifts I’ve received from this plant.
If there is one message I want to share with any of these works, it is, to heal our whenua, because when we heal our whenua and our relationship to it, we heal ourselves.
As an artist, I love to encourage other artists on their creative journeys, because creativity is innate in all of us and should be expressed.
A work that expresses my curiosity with what’s below the earth, the conversations had between trees through their roots and the importance of healthy soil for growing!
A spiritual journey of reconnection back to the whenua (land) and to ourselves through connecting with the whenua.
A mihi to the whenua that nurtures and sustains a child inside a mother’s womb and the whenua that nurtures and sustains us outside the womb. And the whenua to which we will return.
This work gives a view into the ngahere (forest), the healing energy of trees and their importance as life giving for land and people.
One of the things I love about harakeke is it’s ability to hold water - physically, creatively, spiritually.
Harakeke reminds me of my mother’s hands; each line, embedded with stories. She is the resilient nurturer who stands in all weather.