Aroha Te Whare (Ngāpuhi) works across painting and installation to honour whakapapa while speaking to contemporary urban life. Her practice is grounded in collaboration with hapū and schools, and in large-scale works that carry narrative across multiple panels. She has exhibited across Te Tai Tokerau and Wellington, and is known for generous public programmes that invite audiences into the making process. Collectors and institutions value her ability to balance bold graphic structure with delicate surface detail.
Selected works with descriptions and process notes — the same structure visitors expect on a full artist profile.
A multi-panel work where landforms and kōwhaiwhai rhythms meet contemporary typography. The piece asks who gets to name place, and how memory lives in colour and line across generations.
Begins with walking whenua and quick ink studies, then digital compositing for scale tests. Final panels use acrylic and soft pastel on linen, with hand-cut stencils for repeated pattern fields.
Threaded cord and painted panels reference both weaving and urban fencing — protection, enclosure, and invitation at once. Made for a group show on belonging in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Collaborative sessions with kaumātua to agree on motifs; cord dyed in small batches. Panels prepared with gesso and sanded for tooth; cord tensioned through bespoke brass fittings.