When visiting MOTU you can’t miss our collection of Matariki stars and kites by multi-media artist Michel Tuffery.

The artworks reference Matariki (Māori New Year) which is a time of renewal and celebration in Aotearoa New Zealand that begins with the rising of the Matariki star cluster (the Pleiades or Seven Sisters).

Made from laser cut acrylic – a starkly modern medium – the artworks are in black, red and green which are colours emblematic of Māori art. When staying at MOTU you’ll notice these colours are used throughout our interiors in reference to the traditional art and craft of the Pacific.

The red bird-shaped artwork is a manu aute (kite). Manu is the Māori word for bird and kite, and aute refers to the paper mulberry plant from which bark was harvested to construct the kites.

The human-like form that Tuffery references in his kite is based on traditional “bird man” kites, of which there are only two known to still exist.

Reaching up to 5 meters in width, bird man kites were constructed from aute, feathers, flax and a wooden head carved with moko (facial tattoo) and pearly eyes made from paua shell.

In Māori culture birds represent a connection between the spiritual and earthly realms, and kites were used as a method of communication with ancestors of the past, and between pā (villages).

Tuffery grew up in New Zealand and is of Samoan, Rarotongan and Ma’ohi Tahitian heritage. He is a passionate educator who shares his kauapapa and knowledge to empower youth through residencies and workshops in New Zealand and abroad. In 2008 he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to art.

You can view his works on Rarotonga at Bergman Gallery and online at micheltuffery.co.nz.