Taiohi

Located at the junction of Waihirere Lane and Wharf Street. 

Taiohi, is the seventh Aotearoa wall painted by Irish artist Fin DAC (Finbarr Notte). Each of his New Zealand works has been commissioned by Street Prints, with whom the artist has a long relationship. On each of his visits to New Zealand, Fin DAC’s works have focused on Māori culture, women’s empowerment, whānau (family) and protection.

Painted in 2020, a masked wāhine stands tall and proud over the whenua (land) of her tupuna (ancestors) - her mask is a known feature of Fin DAC’s portraits. This work, though experimental for Fin DAC in that it’s entirely brushwork, showcases the artist’s well-recognised style, dubbed ‘urban aesthetics’. Applying a combination of brush and stencil work, Fin DAC has used a monochromatic approach with splashes of red for the woven tāniko border of the kākahu (cloak) and mask.

The model/muse is Kamania Piripi Hetarak Smith daughter of Street Prints founders Jah and Lovie Smith. She is of Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapū, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Porou descent.