Piki Toi is a collective of artists from the street. We may have been vulnerably housed (who hasn’t been) but we are much more than that. We are illustrators, painters, carvers, storytellers.
Through Piki Toi we want to uplift and empower artists to themselves become mentors to those in similar circumstances and wish to develop their talents as artists. Together we are working towards a creative community that supports those who otherwise would not have the opportunities or resources to realize their talents.
For the Harunga project, the main artists involved in the project were Tiare Tuhitahi and Terangimarie. They collaborated with AUT visual arts student Felix Giles to workshop and create a homage to Hape, Karangahape Rd and the links to Ihumātao.
“We’ve named our seats ‘te karanga a Hape’. The seats’ korero is about our connection to the whenua and how important it is to our wellbeing. Making this work on K’ Road has given us the opportunity to share this story with the other artists involved in painting for the Harunga project and sharing whakawhanaungatanga with other people on the street. Many of our fellow Aucklanders living on the streets are suffering as a result of deep emotional trauma often coupled with inherent addiction issues. Expression through creativity is one of the ways to encourage the healing process, in the words of one of the key contributors and agents for change”, says Piki Toi member Tiare. “We’re trying to help people be creative, release. It’s a healing agent.”
Find out more about Piki Toi here..
All photos by Lura Forest.
