30th Polyfest celebrated at gallery

The Dunedin Public Art Gallery (DPAG) is bursting with ways to celebrate, learn and practise te reo Māori during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

The 30th anniversary of Otago Polyfest will be celebrated with a live-stream screening of the festival on the DPAG foyer screens.

The DPAG galleries are full of exhibitions that celebrate te reo Māori me ōna tikaka (language and cultural practices).

These include the exhibition "Tautiaki Haptic" by Madison Kelly (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Pākehā) — part of Suite 2023. Also on display is "Encountering Aotearoa" by Cora-Allan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tumutumu, Niue), introduced in Māori and vagahau Niue, with artworks full of whakataukī (proverbs) and Māori place names.

The ground floor galleries are closed for redevelopment but soon a new exhibition, "Huikaau", will feature works from the permanent collection.