Art & creativity, Central city  |  Yesterday

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Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū is issuing a callout to track down a series of missing artworks by one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most influential artists, Robyn Kahukiwa (1938–2025).

As preparations begin for the first major survey exhibition of Kahukiwa’s extraordinary five‑decade career, co-curators Chloe Cull and Matariki Williams say the locations of many significant works remain unknown – and they’re hoping the public can help find them.

“Some of the pieces we’re looking for haven’t been seen in decades. They could be hanging in someone’s hallway, stored under a bed, or tucked away in an office,” Cull says.

My Ancestors Are Always With Me, opening in February 2027, will be the most comprehensive exhibition ever staged of Kahukiwa’s work. 

“Bringing together up to 100 paintings, works on paper, posters and book illustrations, the exhibition celebrates the profound impact Kahukiwa had on art in Aotearoa and her unwavering commitment to Māori identity, mana wāhine and Indigenous sovereignty,” Cull says.

Matariki Williams says to tell the full story, the Gallery needs help locating artworks from across her 50‑year career. 

“Kahukiwa was a prolific maker, and her work travelled far and wide. We know there are many of her works in private homes, no doubt well-loved by generations of whānau. We just don’t know where,” Williams says. 

“Reconnecting with them will help us honour her legacy with the mana it deserves.” 

Cull says some of Kahukiwa’s early works from the 1970s, particularly those representing mothers and tamariki, are of special interest. 

“The stories of wāhine Māori have always played an important role in Kahukiwa’s work,” Cull says. 

“This exhibition is about recognising Robyn’s immense contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand’s art history. Every work we find helps us tell that story more fully.”

 

If you have any information about these works, please get in touch with us:

The paintings we're looking for

  • Blue Mother and Child, 1973
  • Guitar Player, 1975
  • Mother and Child with Green Towel, 1972
  • Maunga, 1997
  • Mother and Child, 1972
  • Title unknown, c. 1960s
  • Ko Hikurangi te Maunga, Ko Waiapu te Awa, Ko Ngāti Porou te Iwi, 1985
  • Waka, 1997
  • Unidentified Māori Woman #4, 1990
  • He Kakano Rangatira, 1994
  • Family Group, 1973
  • Untitled Family Scene, 1975