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Overview
Taniwha, 2020
In this work Tia depicts two patupaiarehe playing in a dinghy, almost as if it was a Viking longship. While it continues the theme of the patupaiarehe being 'out among us', it deviates from the use of smoke and vape pen's to communicate the supernatural. In taniwha, an other worldliness is communicated through an abstracted reflection that seems aloof and detached. At first glance its difficult to tell what is being depicted, is it one person with two heads, or two back-to-back sharing a jacket? Perhaps it is a trick of the light. This hint of the other plays on the Māori belief in the fickleness of the patupaiarehe, where one is unable to determine whether the subject is benevolent or malevolent in nature. This is further indicated by the title of the work Taniwha, which are supernatural creatures that could be of good or ill intention that were frequently associated with water.
This image is from the series Tua o Tāwauwau / Away with the Fairies which began with six works and has expanded to twelve (and is potentially still expanding). This series is curious in nature with an edge of mystery, dealing with the narratives of patupaiarehe who in some Māori narratives were the other-worldly original inhabitants of Aotearoa. For some today, patupaiarehe are considered real, venturing out only at night in the forests and mountains. Although they are rarely seen, they are said to have pale skin and red hair. They are sometimes heard singing or playing koauau and are one of the reasons why playing taonga pūoro or whistling is frowned upon at night Redhead and fair-haired Māori offspring were sometimes said to be the result of a patupaiarehe parent. While stories and narratives of patupaiarehe are common among Māori, the more serious narratives are still considered tapu by many and in some iwi they are not a topic that can be freely discussed without potentially drawing their (unwanted) attention.
Reference: Undiscovered: Tia Ranginui, Art Collector issue 96, April to June 2021.