Step into the vibrant world of Toi Tauranga as we extend an invitation to a captivating morning of Kōrero. Join us as we bring together the artistic brilliance of Hiria Anderson-Mita, the insightful perspective of Gallerist Tim Melville, and the visionary leadership of Director Sonya Korohina. This conversation serves as a celebration of Hiria's remarkable body of work and artistic journey thus far, coinciding with her exhibition, Āmio, currently on show at Tauranga Art Gallery until the 2nd of July.

Director of Toi Tauranga Sonya Korohina, (Ngāti Porou, Pākeha) is thrilled to host the conversation and says she has long admired Anderson-Mita’s work.

Hiria Anderson-Mita was born and raised in Ōtorohanga in the Waikato where she still lives and works, Anderson-Mita’s practice focuses on the lives of the people in her community. Her richly layered paintings subtly draw attention to intertribal relationships and relationships between family members, as well as to the politics and environments that show the nuances and connections between Māori culture and twenty-first century life.

Gallerist Tim Melville (Te Arawa, Te Atiawa) opened his eponymous Tāmaki Makaurau Gallery in 2007, focusing on representing emerging and established indigenous artists from Aotearoa and Australia. A trustee of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery at the Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei, Melville is one of the few Māori gallerists in commercial art in Aotearoa. Tim began representing Hiria Anderson-Mita shortly after her Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design graduation exhibition in 2016.

Refreshments provided after conversation