The Living Portraits of Maania Tealei
Image credit: Maania Tealei,Te Hau o Ōku Tūpuna, The Breath of My Ancestors, 2025, photographic print on Ilford Galerie Prestige Smooth Lustre Duo paper, 594 x 841 mm. Courtesy of Aigantighe Art Gallery, and the Artist.
There is an unmistakable reverence in the air at the Aigantighe Art Gallery in Timaru. It resides in the lines of a weathered face, the shimmer of a kākahu’s weave, and the quiet gravitas of presence. In Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho (Honouring Our Legacy), Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and Waitaha photographer Maania Tealei offers an exhibition that turns portraiture into a vessel for living whakapapa (ancestry).
Born and raised in Timaru by her grandparents, Tealei’s practice is rooted in deep family bonds. The loss of her koroua - toa (grandmother) in 2019 and grandfather in 2023, planted the seeds for this body of work. “They raised me from birth, and I appreciate the life they were able to give me. I know they will be proud.” Although she couldn’t include her own toa in the series, Tealei aims to honour other kaumātua (Māori elders) in a meaningful way that ensures future generations can understand their legacy.
I believe our babies need to see some of us as we would have been 100 years ago
Lavinia Reihana (Subject)
Kaumātua Ngāi Tahu
The result is a profoundly moving body of work: 26 photographic portraits of 17 kaumātua from the Waitaha/Canterbury region, each captured in two parts. First, subjects are photographed in spaces of personal or ancestral significance. Then, they are portrayed adorned in ceremonial kākahu, embodying the mana of their role as cultural bearers. This dual structure allows Tealei to explore identity as both rooted and evolving.
I haven’t always had a strong connection with my culture, and it wasn’t until I had my own children that I realised the path kaumātua had paved in the community
Maania Tealei (artist)
Kaiwhakaahua Ngāi Tahu
Image credit: Maania Tealei, Ka Raranga te Ao i aku Ringa The World is Woven by My Hands, 2025, photographic print on Ilford Galerie Prestige Smooth Lustre Duo paper, A1. Maania Tealei, Te Pou Whakarae o Arowhenua, The Chiefly Pillar of Arowhenua, 2025, photographic print on Ilford Galerie Prestige Smooth Lustre Duo paper, 594 x 841 mm. Courtesy of Aigantighe Art Gallery, and the Artist.
Tealei’s photographic process was deeply relational. She spent hours listening to stories, drinking tea and being welcomed into homes across the region. In one instance, she transported her entire studio to Te Aitarakihi Marae-ā-Iwi for a day of photographing. This immersive process allowed her to connect with each sitter beyond the frame.
There is an intimacy to the work that transcends documentation. The portraits, unseen by their subjects until opening night, reflect the deep trust between artist and subject. That moment of unveiling was met with compassion, pride, and profound gratitude.
Etched in those older faces are lives well lived
Karl Russell (Subject)
Kaumātua Ngāi Tahu
Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho also marks a significant moment in contemporary Māori art. Aigantighe Exhibitions Curator Izzy Hillman describes the exhibition as a “heartfelt tribute” and “a reminder of how important it is to see Māori life, leadership and connection to whenua reflected in our public spaces.”
Tealei’s portraits challenge the flattening effects of traditional museological Indigenous representation. Her images are not static symbols or nostalgic gestures; they are alive with legacies still evolving. These portraits honour not only who these elders are but also what they continue to carry. Each image becomes a gift passed across generations.
Presented in a gallery deeply committed to regional voices and contemporary practice, the exhibition offers a grounding counterpoint to more metropolitan narratives of Māori art. Here, in Tealei’s hometown of Timaru, the work feels both personal and expansive. Local whānau will see themselves honoured; wider audiences will encounter a powerful meditation on whakapapa, belonging, and the quiet dignity of those who lead by example.
Above all, Maania Tealei reminds us that portraiture is not simply about likeness, it is about presence. And in these portraits, presence is sacred.
Whakahōnore i tō tātou taonga tuku iho continues at Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru until August 10, 2025.
www.aigantighe.co.nz
