10 September — 18 October 2026
Kiara Schaumkell and Aliyah Edwards:
Tiaki
The Arts House Trust Summer Intern Programme 2026
Tiaki is a space abundant with soft sculptures of both taniwha and tuna (the corporeal representation of the taniwha) – as the living embodiment of kaitiaki, allowing comfort and protection for all those who encounter them. They serve as messengers between the deceased and the spirit realms of ngā atua (the gods) and are important expressions of pūrākau (myths).
Aliyah Edwards, Whīwhiwhi (Tangled), 2026. Textile and Beads. Image courtesy of the artist.
Kaitiakitanga (guardianship) has evolved into a metaphor for caring for the natural world and the animals that inhabit it. This concept is closely intertwined with whakapapa, emphasising the networks of relationships among humans, animals, and the natural environment.
Across Aotearoa, taniwha manifest in various living forms. Each person's perception of a taniwha is shaped by their own experience. They are protectors of swimming holes, river bends, caves and lakes. The native longfin eel (tuna) is often compared to a tangible, living taniwha due to its immense size and mysterious life cycle. These water spirits serve as guides, helping waka navigate safely through currents and protecting people from harm. As esoteric beings, they present the wairua of the awa.
For the artists Kiara Schaumkell and Aliyah Edwards, these forms manifest from their lived and familial experiences within Te Ao Māori. The textiles act as examples of Western media techniques that influence their practice, while the forms and woven surfaces speak directly to their whakapapa. By doing this, Schaumkell and Edwards are reinterpreting their self-learned histories and adapting it to their experiences as mixed-race Māori. They reflect an understanding of life, as governed by unseen forces and drawing on the nuances of the spiritual world.
About the artists
Aliyah Edwards
Aliyah Edwards (Te Rarawa, Pākehā) is a multi-disciplinary artist. Through various forms of art-making, her practice brings stories and pūrākau to life, exploring the tangibility of fictional beings, their connection to our whakapapa, and their significance in how one interprets life. Aliyah invites viewers into a whimsical world of creatures and cryptids, offering a sense of escapism and enjoyment for all. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts (Majoring in Lens-Based Practice) from AUT. In 2022, she was awarded with the Toi Māia Award, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Award, and the PCL Imaging Award. Recent group exhibitions include Talismans at Studio One Toi Tū (2026) and Close to Home at Papakura Art Gallery (2025).
Kiara Schaumkell
Kiara Schaumkell (Ngāpuhi, Tūwharetoa) is a sculptor currently completing a Master of Fine Arts degree at Elam School of Fine Arts, University Of Auckland. Her work centers around representational life size sculptures. She enjoys works that are conceptually loaded, and that push her into areas of thought she hasn’t yet encountered. She works within the ideas of speculative bodies and speculative brain function, and gives inanimate objects a perceived consciousness. She thinks of them as her children, something she has created in her own likeness. They are owners of free will, but they are unable to do anything about it.
About The Arts House Trust Summer Intern Programme 2026
Tiaki is curated by Kiara Schaumkell and Aliyah Edwards, participants in The Arts House Trust Summer Intern Programme 2026. Now in its tenth year, the Trust’s internship programme is designed for senior secondary and tertiary students considering career opportunities in the visual arts sector, allowing them to engage with the public interface of a major gallery during the summer period. The interns are also given the opportunity to submit exhibition proposals and explore The Arts House Trust Collection.