Motuaarairoa (The Long Sheltering Island)

24th June - 31st July

The exhibition features monumental carved works in New Zealand basalt and black granite.
Chris Bailey, of Ngati Hako, Te Aupouri, Ngati Porou and Irish descent, lives on Te Motuarairoa, the long, sheltering island that lends its name to the exhibition –commonly known as Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
Bailey’s work celebrates the old and existing industries of the island, the ancestors, and the elements. Te Motoarairoa sheltered the seafaring tribes of Hauraki, who were sustained by the maritime fishing grounds, flourishing gardens of volcanic soil, and thriving adze industry.
“We look after the land, and the land looks after us. It is a symbiotic relationship,” says Chris. “Each of my works contemplates a distinct aspect of life on Waiheke.”