Making light work of art in the city

Why I Made is a fortnightly feature in which artists and writers share the behind-the-scenes stories of their creations with listener.co.nz

You might not know her name, but chances are you’ll recognise the art Janine Williams makes.

She and her husband, Charles, are Māori urban artists responsible for some of New Zealand’s biggest and brightest murals. For 25 years, they’ve made work here, in Australia, the US and the Pacific, often featuring native flora and fauna and always honouring Māori kaupapa and design.

But Janine (Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara) has done something a little different. As part of Matariki celebrations, her 9-metre high lightwork, Whai, is illuminating part of Auckland’s city centre from the Victoria St carpark building.

Inspired by Māori string games, it is set on a dark patterned background and comprises two bright blue light works. Look a little longer, and you’ll see that the top and bottom games combine to reflect the seven stars of Matariki and the background suggests our galaxy and the stars in it.

Janine Williams, why did you make Whai?

JW: As a contemporary Māori artist, making art that creates a conversation is the starting point for me, so I made Whai because I wanted to have a conversation.

Whai is universal and its design shows connection – in our communities and with our ancestors – and it also merges the old and the new. It taps into a cultural understanding that art can be the starting point for conversations about identity and belonging.

I think we’re in a really interesting period of time, where people are looking at the connection between cultural identities and art. At the same time, more research is being released about the importance of art, and public art, in particular, so I was lucky that the amazing team at Auckland Council took this onboard and allowed me to produce an artwork that enables me to speak about what’s important.