RAMP Gallery

Aka Kumara - Research in Progress

Dates: 24 Feb – 4 March 2026
By appointment
Celebration / Event: Tuesday 3rd March 12-1pm
All Welcome, Snacks Provided

For the last year, the kaiako (teachers) in Contemporary Art and Design at Wintec have been meeting and working together to discuss our guiding principles in creative practice. Prompted by Te Pou Ahurei, a programme designed by Toni Herangi, our collective question has been how we might apply principles and ideas from Te Ao Māori to frame our own creative practices. Our hypothesis is to understand, through our experience, how aakonga (students) might benefit from a values-based approach to arts education. This group exhibition is an opportunity for us to share our research in progress.

Artists: Toni Herangi, Tamsin Green, Mason Holloway, Jordan Foster, Dani Foster, Gareth William, Tim Croucher, Tony Nicholls.

Hollie Tawhiao .didnt.do.it
Portrait of a lake as a dying man (2025)
Perspex, water, wooden frame
Now showing at Critical Mass

This perspex frame was designed to hold 3.14 litres of water. It currently holds 1.51 litres, the amount of remaining water in Lake Taupō there would be today if equated to AI water consumption since 2012. AI could consume this remainder in only 4.28 years due to accelerated use. A dramatic acceleration.

The perspex bows under pressure, distorting the water level. It has the potential to seep intentionally. These physical effects reflect the illusion of control in the face of climate uncertainty.

This work is designed to create tension and uncertainty, not just for the viewer, but for the gallery space itself. It challenges the expectation that art should be clean, contained, and controlled. Climate change is not tidy. It is disruptive, uncomfortable, and unpredictable. So too is this work.

📷 Geoff Ridder