Oyster & Moon

Name: Oyster & Moon
Start: 2023-04-01T10:00:00+13:00
End: 2023-04-26T16:00:00+12:00
Location: Depot Artspace

April 1 @ 10:00 am – April 26 @ 4:00 pm

Oyster & Moon

1 – 26 April 2023

Opening: Saturday 1 April, 2 – 6pm

As people of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa the moon connects us to the rhythm of the planet, its phases reminding us that the passing of time is rooted in the cycles of seasons as well as the ebb and flow of the tides.

The fate of the oyster and our moana intertwined with each other. The oyster custodian of the sea, cleansing our waters and providing a habitat for other life. The moon directing the tides of the moana so that its currents flow through the oyster. The oyster and the moon giving life to the moana through their silent relationship and every now and then the connection between the two creates a pearl. A symbol of the symbiotic relationship between the oyster and the moon.

A pearl begins life as a reaction to a foreign object. Its lustre deepening as the oyster transforms it layer by layer into a precious object of rare beauty. Each pearl unique to the oyster and the grit that formed it.

In this exhibition, a collective of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa creatives reflect on the treasures of their ancestors as they navigate the waters of their future. How their lived experience and place in the world has shaped them and their creative practice.

Our people, like the pearl formed by the interplay between the moon, the tides and currents and the grit that finds rest inside the oyster. The layers of our lived experience and those of our ancestors adding to the depth and lustre of our cultural and creative expression.