Auahitūroa: A Eulogy to Tobacco
Auahitūroa is a FREE travelling art exhibition that will be in Ōtautahi Christchurch during Smokefree May. This exhibition is a collaboration between Hāpai Te Hauora and the following lead artists:
- Hori Thompson – Te Whanganui a Tara;
- Jessy Collins – Ōtautahi;
- Shane Hansen – Te Tai Tokerau;
- Tai Kerekere – Te Tairāwhiti;
- Regan Balzer – Rotorua; and
- Graham Tipene – Tāmaki Makaurau.
Auahitūroa will feature various artworks from local artists and rangatahi. The main objective of the exhibition is to prompt conversations that acknowledge the role tobacco has played in New Zealand's culture and the impact it has had on whānau, hāpu, iwi and hāpori. Auahitūroa aims to create a space that shares the voices of community through mediums of Art.
Auahitūroa also seeks to say goodbye to the deeply ingrained smoking culture in our country and acknowledges the harm tobacco has caused to communities.
Dates and Times:
- Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th May 2024 (9am to 5pm); and
- Friday 10th May 2024 (9am to 1pm).
Location: Pūmanawa (2 Worcester Boulevard, Central City).
The term Auahitūroa refers to comets and is a wordplay on the reclamation of “auahi” (smoke). The comet is also a symbol to the catastrophic damage that would occur if it were to impact the earth. The cyclical nature of comets’ orbits serves as a reminder of the eternal recurrence of events in the universe, and our farewell to tobacco culture in Aotearoa is a recognition of this.