Rix Meaker

Where Journeys Meet - Art and Renewal

Saturday 4th July – Saturday 8th August

Matariki Herenga Waka, the theme for Matariki 2026, speaks to the coming together of people, histories, and futures. Like canoes converging upon shared waters, the theme honours connection—between whānau, communities, the natural world, and the ancestral knowledge that continues to guide us. For generations, Matariki was celebrated and sustained by iwi across Aotearoa.

Although these traditions were once largely observed within Māori communities, a cultural renaissance in the early twenty-first century has renewed and expanded understanding of Matariki as an essential part of Aotearoa New Zealand's living heritage. Today, Matariki offers an opportunity for all who call this place home to pause, reflect, and gather in recognition of the whenua, the skies above, and one another.

Within this context, Rix Meaker's multidisciplinary practice reflects the spirit of Matariki Herenga Waka. Through painting, sculpture, and mixed media, she transforms everyday materials into works that speak of connection, renewal, and possibility. Her practice brings together diverse ideas, materials, and experiences, creating new relationships that honour both individual journeys and collective stories.

A self-taught contemporary artist and sculptor, Meaker embraces an intuitive process driven by experimentation, curiosity, and continual learning. Her work celebrates transformation, revealing how beauty often emerges through exploration, where unexpected outcomes become opportunities for growth. This philosophy echoes the values of Matariki, a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look forward with hope and purpose.

Alongside her studio practice, Meaker is a passionate educator who encourages others to discover their own creative voice. By fostering confidence through hands-on making and self expression, she nurtures the same sense of collective learning and shared knowledge embodied in Herenga Waka. Just as waka carry people, stories, and traditions across generations, creativity becomes a vessel for connection, resilience, and cultural exchange.

Through her work, Meaker invites audiences to see creativity as a lifelong journey—one that begins with a single idea and grows through collaboration, discovery, and imagination. In the spirit of Matariki, her artworks remind us that when we gather our experiences, our knowledge, and one another, we create something richer than any individual journey alone.