The marae mattress room is the creative inspiration behind the latest work of Tūwharetoa artist Tyrone Te Waa.
Te Waa said the mattress room on his marae is where many of his best childhood memories were formed — and that space now anchors his work on show in Dreaming from Afar, an exhibition in Auckland.
The exhibition features artists exploring traditional spaces that shape enduring connections to culture.
Tyrone Te Waa, Tūwharetoa, Image Courtesy of Tyrone Te Waa and Gus Fisher Gallery.
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“I thought about the spaces that make up the environment of our marae and really wanted to highlight a place that isn’t talked about as much as the wharenui (meeting house), the wharekai (food hall) or the ātea (front area). People from our marae know about those spaces, but not many others do.”
Te Waa said throughout his childhood, the mattress room was an important space that helped him and his cousins practically understand how important whanaungatanga (family connection) and manaakitanga (kindness, generosity) was and what those concepts looked and felt like.
The Mattress Room Installation (L-R) Nann plays whāngaipeke (2026) Free Hangi over Te Rohe Pōtae (2026) Moko’s Moko’s Mokomoko (2026) W/Whakapakoko (2026) Courtesy of Artist, Anna MIles Gallery, Gus Fisher Gallery.
SAM HARTNETT
“That was our space, in a way, when manuhiri (visitors) were coming me and my cousins would help carry mattresses out, put the pillowcases on all the pillows, fit all the sheets and make up beds for them to sleep in. When they left, we would help strip all the linen and stack all the mattresses and pillows away.
“Once the mattresses were stacked up, that space would turn into a kind of playground for the kids, we would jump across the stacks, play hide and seek and just hang out and spend time together.”
Whakapakoko, Image Courtesy of Tyrone Te Waa, Anna Miles Gallery, Gus Fisher Gallery.
Sam Hartnett
To maintain an authentic connection to that space, Te Waa said he chose to replace an artist’s canvas with single mattresses and fitted sheets.
“I applied textile dyes and paint directly onto mattresses and sheets, and used them as the base for sculptural work reflecting the physical and spiritual aspects of that space.”
Honouring a matriarch
The Mattress Room, Image Courtesy of Tyrone Te Waa, Anna Miles Gallery, Gus Fisher Gallery.
Sam Hartnett
The influence of his grandmother, Wairaka, is woven through the exhibition.
Te Waa was approached to take part while working on designs for kahu wakarere (traditional burial vessel) which his Nanny Wairaka had asked him and his whānau to create for her.
He said her openness about death and talking about it with the whānau is her way of helping them realise, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
“She’s been clear about what she wants — from her wakarere to what she’ll wear. And talking about it openly and directly with her ensures we follow her wishes, and it helps us prepare ourselves emotionally and physically.”
A Nan plays Whangaipeke, Image Courtesy of Tyrone Te Waa, Anna Miles Gallery, Gus Fisher Gallery
Sam Hartnett
Wanting to reflect the influence of his Nanny Wairaka, Te Waa invited her into the process of creating a piece inspired a kaitiaki (guardian, ancestor) of his hapū Ngāti Hikairo.
“She was so enthusiastic and keen to be involved, so we got her to lie down on the mattress, and I traced her form which became the first layer of the laid my Nanny on a mattress and traced her form — that became the first layer of the piece A Nan Plays Whāngaipeke.”
Te Waa said a lot of Māori connect or link to a memory of their own when the mattress room is mentioned.
A Nan plays Whangaipeke, Image Courtesy of Tyrone Te Waa, Anna Miles Gallery, Gus Fisher Gallery.
Sam Hartnett
“A lot of people would just start cracking up laughing when I first started asking people about their memories of that space, and it was all very specific to their marae and who they are and their tikanga and their kawa.”
Te Waa hopes to shed light on the importance of cultural connection and the vital role marae play in building and maintaining cultural pride and identity.
Dreaming from Afar is currently showing at the Gus Fisher Gallery and runs through the rest of the month. The exhibition also features work by Brunelle Dias Primbs and Gian Malik.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand