Under, Over and Across _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

The interrelationship between material, maker, and making takes centre stage at Under, Over and Across – an exhibition by Angela Kilford (Te Whanau A Kai, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu) and Lisa Munnelly at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre until the 13^th of March that explores the potential of woven structures through textile making.

To create dialogue between painting, raranga, and hand-woven works, Munnelly seeks to elevate the canvas by exposing the materiality of the surface while Kilford reveals the workings of textile surfaces through upscaled structural motifs and live raranga sessions in the gallery. For this purpose, Under, Over and Across will present painting interwoven with participatory performance practice and public engagement.

“This exhibition offers an opportunity for us to work together to explore the dialogue between our practices”, Kilford and Munnelly say. “We hope people will sense the joy of making that we both share and feel appreciation for the rich potential of process and material-driven practice”.

Munnelly’s work manifests as an intimate study of surface that celebrates the canvas rather than conceals it. Measurement is key in highlighting the woven texture of the canvas primer. The measure of the brush dictates the scale of the pattern, whilst the weight, direction, and speed of each stroke determines the tonal range of the marks.

“Often in painting the textile element, specifically the structure of the canvas, is obscured,” Munnelly says. “Painting in this exhibition sets out to foreground and embrace the canvas surface.”

As a whole, Munnelly’s practice examines the relationship between mind, matter, action, and form. She maintains a close and constant study of materiality by employing mark-making and repetition to enact, analyse, and celebrate different materials, and their capacity to both perform and transform.

Kilford uses the language of weaving and raranga to illustrate ideas of whakapapa through interlacing materials. Despite the intricate patterns, angles are never measured; rather the hands and body create surface and structure, and, through repeated movements, a tacit knowledge of pattern emerges. Her current research practice focuses on how mātauranga Māori and Māori participation can inform textile design practice and research to produce ways to benefit Māori communities and sustain Papatūānuku. In Under, Over and Across, Kilford draws inspiration from her work with harakeke to develop handwoven pieces on a 24-shaft floor loom.

Physically, the under and over movement captured in both painting and loom weaving drives the work on show, Munnelly and Kilford say. “Conceptually, the weekend workshops bring together the separate elements to create a communal textile that will become part of the exhibition.”

Guests can drop in between 1pm and 3pm on the 28^th of February to make a collaborative woven artwork facilitated by the creatives and join them in conversation with Caroline McQuarrie on the 7^th of March.