Piupiu Maya Turei: Curator in residence

Piupiu Maya Turei has whakapapa (ancestral connections) to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Rangitāne ki Wairarapa, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, and Te Ātiawa. She lives on whenua Kāi Tahu (the lands of Kāi Tahu) in Te Waipounamu, the so-called South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand, where she is active as an artist and curator.

Turei is currently Director of Blue Oyster Art Project Space in Ōtepoti, a small-scale contemporary art institution that began as an artist-run space. Over its 27-year history, Blue Oyster has grown into an important part of the art ecosystem of Te Waipounamu. Turei’s curatorial practice is grounded in collaboration, while her artistic practice explores the spaces within and between genealogies. She believes in art’s capacity to transform lives and is devoted to bringing contemporary art to as many people as possible.

Among the projects that have been particularly important for her are The Secret Path, an interactive, puzzle-based exhibition for children and adults, curated with Mya Morrison-Middleton for The Platform Projects and organised by Dunedin Dream Brokerage; He Reka Te Kūmara, a collaborative exhibition celebrating Mātauraka Māori (Māori knowledge systems), curated with Madison Kelly, Aroha Novak, and Mya Morrison-Middleton as the outcome of Turei’s curatorial internship at Dunedin Public Art Gallery; and H.K. Taiaroa: Kua marara hoki ngā mana o tōna kaha ki runga i te katoa, a celebration of the Rakatirataka Kāi Tahu (esteemed leaders of Kāi Tahu) H.K. Taiaroa and his wife, Tini Taiaroa, curated in collaboration with the Riki Te Mairaki Ellison Taiaroa Whānau Trust. All three projects reflect the collaborative approach that is central to Turei’s curatorial practice.