Ashleigh Zimmerman – Whakaahua: Photography through a wahine Māori Lens
Ashleigh Zimmerman presents the Mātauranga Māori Research Methodologies that form her Master of Māori Visual Art graduate exhibition.
Whare Ngaro draws on Te Ao Māori creation narratives as a vehicle to explore wahine experiences around whakapapa. Self portraiture through a wahine Māori lens reflects grief related to the whare tangata. Kōkowai is captured in a range of states and movements in relation to the body to hono to the whenua, Paptūānuku, the tapū status of wahine, and whakapapa (ancestral bloodlines).
My existence is a perpetual cycle between Te Kore (the realm of nothingness) through to Te Pō (the realm of becoming). Each cycle begins with mate marama (menstruation), a reminder of lost potential and the uha (feminine energy) of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother). The whare tangata (womb/house of humanity) becomes dormant, waiting for the kākano (seed) for life, yet to manifest. The ihi (essential force) of ovulation awakens, preparing to hono the whakapapa of the wahine and tāne. Intertwining as tight as Ranginui and Papatūānuku’s embrace.
In Te Pō, creation stirs in the darkness, waiting to emerge into Te Ao Mārama (the realm of being). But not all cycles reach the light. The kākano may not take root in the whenua (land, or body), and the cycle recedes into Te Kore. This Ngāi Tahu oriori (lullaby) is my karanga (call) to whakapapa.
Ko au te Whare Ngaro, a broken whakapapa, a lost house.
Biography
Whangārei based, Ngāi Tahu artist and educator, Ashleigh Zimmerman completing the Master of Maori Visual Arts programme through Massey University in 2024.
Ashleigh has spent most of her career as a High school Photography Teacher helping rangitahi explore their own perspectives and identities.
Her current work explores personal narratives surrounding whakapapa and the complex relationships with her tinana and the whenua. Blending photographic approaches and uku practices to explore her turangawaewae and place within Te Ao Maori.