Tyrone Te Waa is one of 14 artists, makers and designers exhibiting in How to make a home, a show exploring the small universe of home and the material politics of the objects and adornment we live with over time. We asked Tyrone four quick questions about their work in the exhibition and what makes a home, read his responses below.

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Objectspace: Can you briefly describe the material and making of your works in How to make a home?

Tyrone Te Waa: The materials are foam mattresses, fitted sheets and textile dyes.

OS: Can you share some of your thinking behind the works?

TTW: I associate these materials with sleeping and dreaming in the wharenui. Dying textiles is related to the cotton pareo from Tahiti and is a hononga to Ngatoroirangi. The symbols on the sheets depict dreams about night and day, plants, repetitive words, moemoea, alertness, readiness, watching, manaia, and duality. I consider these sheets as protective symbols for dreams. Dreams are valuable, and I want to explore ways to create a safe passage for them. The title Whakamoemoe refers to sleep-inducing spells, marriage and sleeping together, so these works circle back to the theme of duality. Duality is important to me. The two works in this exhibition extend from my installation Te Rūma Moenga / The Mattress Room (Memory Foam), which opened earlier this year at the Casula Powerhouse in Sydney.

OS: How do you feel your work connects to domestic spaces and/or the way we adorn and dress them?

TTW: Our homes and wharenui are our safe spaces where we can see who we are reflected back at us.

OS: How to make a home posits that what makes a home is the persistence of ‘things’ that inspire us to feel like we belong. Can you tell us about an object that has made, or does make, your home a home?

TTW: Acts of manakitanga make me feel at home. I have a tall ceramic teapot gifted by my Nan that I see as an extension of her. It reminds me to look after people. That teapot has hosted countless gatherings filled with hot tea in the morning and liquor at night.

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More about Tyrone Te Waa

Tyrone Te Waa (Ngātī Tūwharetoa) is a studio-based artist who works predominantly with local materials including textile, fabric, wood, and paint. He completed his Master of Creative Practice at Unitec Institute of Technology Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka in 2021. In 2022 he was awarded an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi Springboard award for Visual Arts. Recent exhibitions include KUMARA KUīNI (NZ IDOL) AWARDS CEREMONY, Aotearoa Contemporary, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2024, Te Rūma Moenga / The Mattress Room (Memory Foam), Casula Powerhouse, 2024, and WīWī WāWā, Anna Miles Gallery, 2023.