Aotearoa, New Zealand artist Sarah Hudson (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pūkeko) is set to debut her new works at the prestigious Setouchi Triennale 2025 in Japan this April, following her selection as the first artist from Aotearoa to undertake a residency at the Benesse Art Site Naoshima. Hudson’s participation in this iconic international art event builds on the longstanding collaboration between the McCahon House Trust and the Fukutake Family and is made possible with the support of founding partners, STILL and Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono, as well as The Tomorrow Group, Art Front Gallery, Setouchi Triennale 2025 and Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa.

For Hudson, the Setouchi Triennale’s setting on the islands of the Seto Inland Sea holds deep resonance. The Triennale has long been celebrated for its ability to intertwine contemporary art with the region’s unique cultural and natural landscapes.

Hudson’s work, deeply informed by Māori traditions, explores themes of tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty), whakapapa (genealogy), and matemateāone (longing and belonging), through site-specific installations, performance, and the use of natural materials, including earth pigments. Hudson’s participation in the Triennale offers an exciting opportunity for cultural exchange, bringing the richness of Aotearoa’s indigenous art to a global audience.

From Aotearoa to Setouchi: The Making of New Work

During her residency in Japan, Hudson engaged with the local community and its rich cultural history, creating new work in dialogue with the landscapes of Megijima, an island located in the Seto Inland Sea, which is included in the Bennesse Art Site Naoshima.

As part of the Triennale, artists are invited to present their work in natural environments, alongside shrines and in abandoned or unused buildings. Hudson’s body of work titled, Reconciliation, will be displayed in the nurse’s office of the abandoned Megi Elementary School, on Megijima Island. Reconciliation will encompass The Stones Remember and I Listen, a series of watercolour paintings made using earth pigments sourced from her ancestral lands of Moutohorā, combined with indigo pigment from the Kagawa prefecture. Stone pieces forming In my teeth, the DNA of cliffs, the taste of old stories, using pebbles from Megijima and video work, Belonging. This new body of work will explore themes of memory, disconnection, and reconciliation, addressing Hudson’s own journey of reconnecting with the land and her whakapapa.

A Cross-Cultural Dialogue Through Art

Hudson’s involvement in the 2025 Setouchi Triennale builds on her previous experiences with Mataaho Collective, a group she co-founded and known for large-scale, site-specific installations. Her work also reflects her ongoing commitment to sustainability, using natural materials to engage in an active dialogue with the land. Her earth pigment workshops as part of her residency at Miki Junior High School, where she introduced local students to natural dyeing methods, further underscore her belief in the power of art to forge connections between cultures and generations.

A Message of Reconciliation

Drawing from her experiences of separation from ancestral land, Hudson’s work at Setouchi will serve as an act of reconciliation, not only with the land but with the shared histories that bind the two locations. Discovering the presence of stone walls on Megijima used for protection from the wind reminded her of the defensive stone walls on Motoutohorā, where Hudson’s ancestors once lived off the coast of Whakatāne where she lives but has not been able to visit as access to the island is restricted.

Hudson shares. “Being invited to someone else’s island, to walk among their stone walls and engage with their histories, made me long even more for the ability to do the same on my own ancestral island.”

“Reconciliation,” she explains, “is an ongoing process, an acknowledgement of disconnection and a commitment to restoration. Through my art, I aim to address the complexity of these relationships, whether between people, places, or the natural world.”

A Special Collaboration

Jude Chambers, Executive Director of McCahon House Trust, adds, “Sarah’s work contemplates the connection between land, islands and identity. We are thrilled to support her as she embarks on presenting new work in response this unique context. Her participation in the Setouchi Triennale 2025 is a significant milestone, not only for her personal artistic journey but also for the ongoing exchange of Māori art with the world.”

Kia Mau Festival - Wellington
Exhibition of Belonging I & II in conversation with a poem that was written by AI using my research for this project, then translated into te reo Māori. The exhibition has an emphasis on poetry and memory.
June 2-15th

Te Kōputu - Whakatāne
Exhibition of Belonging I & II, 5 largescale watercolour paintings, historical imagery of Moutohorā in conjunction with Whakatāne Museum and Archives, the poem, and a new series of sculptural works looking at archaeological documentation of wāhi tapu on Moutohorā.
Opening Friday the 4th of July at 5:30pm
Show runs 5th July - 6th of September

Images: courtesy of McCahon House Trust

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