« All Events
Exhibition
Nov 26, 2026
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
VENUE: Whakaari
Free
Please join us for the opening of this beautiful exhibition, Thursday 26 November, 6.30pm. Expect to hear insights about the journey to create this detailed study of nature, and the artist’s collaboration and vision for the project. We’re thrilled to feature this collection in our gallery from 27 November to 25 January 2027.
He Wai Apakura – Te Ara Pounamu | The River’s Lament – A Pathway of Treasures by Jo Ogier
Explore the rich ecological and cultural histories of Māruawai | Gore and the wider Mataura River Valley through 26 major artworks by botanical and wildlife artist Jo Ogier.
Developed through a long-term research partnership between Hokonui Rūnanga and Eastern Southland Gallery, the exhibition brings together detailed depictions of indigenous plants, birds, insects and freshwater species with oral histories, archival research and mātauraka shared by kaumātua and other experts of this Southland region.
Field trips with the rūnanga’s environmental team informed Ogier’s exploration of mahika kai sites and the habitats that sustain them. Her paintings weave together species, their early names and associated places, inviting us to consider the relationships between waterways, biodiversity and cultural memory.
