Exhibition Overview
Exodus: Through the Doors of Time is a landmark exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Māori Land March (Te Hikoi), led by Dame Whina Cooper. This pivotal event reshaped Aotearoa’s social and political landscape and continues to inspire movements for justice, equity, and land rights today.
Created by Dame Whina’s mokopuna, this exhibition pays tribute to her enduring legacy while exploring powerful themes of identity, belonging, intergenerational knowledge, and resilience.
What to Expect
Visitors will experience an immersive journey through seven symbolic doors, each representing a stage of life, culminating in the mokopuna cloak—a central metaphor for wisdom, strength, and the weaving together of whakapapa and wairua.
- Contemporary Indigenous Art: Works from artists across Aotearoa, the Pacific, Turtle Island, and Alaska, showcasing painting, photography, and mixed media.
- Themes of Whakapapa & Wairua: Artworks that transcend time, inviting visitors to reflect on ancestral ties, cultural resilience, and spiritual connection.
- Storytelling & Legacy: Personal narratives and visual works rooted in the strength of tūpuna, celebrating the passing down of history and culture to future generations.
- Immersive Experience: A carefully curated space designed to evoke reflection on the past while inspiring hope for the future.
Visitor Experience
- Reflective Spaces: Areas to sit, listen, and absorb the stories behind the artworks.
- Guided Connection: Interpretive texts linking the exhibition to the legacy of the Land March and Dame Whina Cooper’s vision for her people.
- Multigenerational Perspective: Works created by descendants and cultural storytellers who bridge the past with the present.
- Cultural Resonance: A deeply moving encounter with Indigenous artistry, history, and wairua.
This is more than an exhibition—it’s a journey through time, whakapapa, and cultural strength, inviting visitors to honour the footsteps of those who came before and draw inspiration for those yet to come.
