Artist Tori Beeche was welcomed into mothermother for its 14th iteration back in March 2022 - invited to exhibit by another exhibiting artist. That practice of invitation is at the heart of the Auckland-based collective to foster a non-hierarchical and inclusive art community based on the Māori concept of manaakitanga (which includes kindness, generosity, respect, support and care).

So in January last year, when Tori relocated to Queenstown she missed the ongoing creative exchange of ideas;  warm critique of regular salon gatherings; and even being able to ask for advice and technical support - that being part of the mothermother collective had brought to her life in Auckland.

mothermother founder Nat Tozer says it led the pair to have deep, long-distance phone conversations about what being in a different place meant.

Nat: Tori said nothing looks like home. It's weird. I feel strangely untethered. Everything looks strange. You have your special taonga (possessions) that you keep in your home, but she said there are no familiar things; it's completely new. It's very unusual. How do we recognise time, and how do we know our world? And so, we’ve always had a system of invites, I said this is the perfect way to activate mothermother.

‍Tori: And Nat said, why don't we see how it works in another location? You should host a show and invite a local artist and give manaakitanga to someone who is already the kaitiaki of this place as a way to engage and try to create some reciprocity, understanding, and friendship.

Not long after, Tori met Arrowtown-based artist, sculptor and contemporary basket maker Jasmine Clark at a gallery opening and contacted her through Instagram.

Tori: She just felt like she would really fit in with our ethos of caring for each other and support. And yeah, it just grew from there!

Jasmine: When she invited me, it took me a while to get my head around what it (mothermother) actually was.  It's such a beautiful idea, isn't it? It's all about supporting each other, and it's just been such an amazing experience.  What's special about mothermother is they'll invite new people in, and then it doesn't have to be the same people every time in the exhibitions, just depending on the project, which keeps it fresh, doesn't it?

Nat: Art connects! We haven't just randomly had a proposal accepted in some strange town, and just popped up for a good time, it's actually a very deep meaning-making experience for Tori. She's meeting other artists and talking about the show and coming to the gallery and meeting Olivia Egerton, (Te Atamira Director) and having Zooms with us artists up north. And it's like this bubbling cauldron of planning and future.

Tori: It's given me a bit of purpose. I've spent the last eight months thinking about what the exhibition is going to look like and doing my work for it, and catching up regularly with Jasmine for coffees and chats and having someone to go to the other art scenes in the area.  Even outside the art world, I’m meeting people and having something to talk about and invite them to. The opening was lovely - lots of the new friends I've made were there, which was pretty special. I've got a bit more to give and offer in the new relationships I'm building.

Jasmine: Every exhibition they do, they draw on artists that complement each other or complement the idea of the exhibition. We're already talking about doing something else down here, along the same lines, under the mothermother umbrella.

Tori: Putting something out there brings something back… It’s meant to be a circular movement. The fact that this could now continue here and you have another iteration here, it’s starting other circles of artists supporting other artists.

Jasmine: It's just lifted me up. I feel like it's elevated my work, just being exhibited with artists like that. I feel so thankful and lucky to have been invited and just to be in the space, and for Te Atamira to treat us like rock stars - if only every week as an artist could have been like this week. It's such a beautiful show, isn't it?  It’s so feminine and delicate.

Tori: Now that I've spent some time connecting, I feel like it’s going to be a lot easier, in lots of different ways. Obviously, continuing my art practice, but also being able to give back with teaching and other things like that. It's all very, very much intertwined, and maybe almost expected, it's just part of a give and take in the community here. I'm now connected to these people, which is really nice.

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Image: Artists (from left to right); Michelle Mayn, Rachel Hope Peary, Jasmine Clark, Tori Beeche, Nat Tozer.