Ngāti Kurī
Pohotiare/Ngāti Kurī

In her practice as an artist and curator, Bethany Matai Edmunds re-imagines tūpuna kōrero (ancestral stories) to articulate Māori urban perspectives and retain ngā taonga tuku iho (the skills passed down from ancestors) for future generations.

Integral to Edmunds’ multidisciplinary practice is raranga (weaving), which she learnt from her family members, and from the renowned cloak weaver Nikki Lawrence (Te Rarawa) while studying for her Bachelor of Applied Arts: Māori Design and Technology. She developed this interest in her research thesis for a Master of Arts at New York University, investigating the conservation, storage and display of Māori cloaks across four museums in the United States of America.