A collaboration between Kaurilands School and Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery.

Whether making handprints on cave walls, painting self-portraits or taking selfies, for thousands of years humans have sought to represent themselves and mark their presence in time and space. All 720 tamariki from nearby Kaurilands School visited Te Uru’s education studio and explored this connection between identity and mark-making. This exhibition features the artworks they created.

Working across different media, the ākonga approached identity as pluralistic and ever-changing. They considered how we project certain aspects of ourselves while keeping others hidden, and how we shape our own image through art making. Students in Years 0 to 2 made several distinct self-portraits and slotted them together to create free-standing artworks. Inspired by two-faced puppets, these sculptural self-portraits can display different faces and different moods. Turning them in their hands, tamariki can watch one version of themselves shift into another and decide which face to show to the world.

Ākonga from Years 3 to 6 also explored ideas of concealment and display. Each child created a mask, perhaps emphasising one aspect of their selfhood and hiding another, or designing an alter ego for themselves. Working without strict parameters, the tamariki were given the freedom to choose the materials and form of their mask. Wearing their masks, they staged photographic portraits of themselves, taking charge of their own image. The photographs’ black-and-white, ID-style format transforms the unique artworks into a cohesive body of work.

Across the sculptures, the masks and the photographs, every young artist has left their mark. Individually, these artworks represent the individuality, sense of self and creative expression of their maker. Exhibited together, they paint a collective portrait of the tamariki of Kaurilands School.

Every year, Te Uru partners with a different Waitākere primary school to produce an exhibition of children’s art. Showcasing the creativity, ideas and stories of local tamariki, this annual partnership aims to empower our youngest artists and build lasting connections with our community.