New work

A new  solo presentation by Nadia Marychurch (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Raukawa) - her first time exhibiting with Melanie Roger Gallery.

This new exhibition follows on from her sold-out solo presentation at the 2026 Aotearoa Art Fair as part of the Horizons sector, curated by Becky Hemus - publisher and editor-in-chief of Current art magazine. The presentation, titled 'He Haerenga Whenua', featured works created from reclaimed wool blankets coated with whenua and stitched with muka into contemporary tukutuku-inspired forms, alongside driftwood and hand-formed uku gathered from Matakana Island.

Working primarily with reclaimed and tactile materials, Marychurch transforms woven textiles and found objects into sculptural forms that carry layered historical and emotional significance. Her process is both physical and spiritual, guided by tikanga and informed by an intentional engagement with gathering, preparing, and reconstructing materials. Through stitching, weaving, and assemblage, she creates works that honour the coexistence of past, present, and future within Māori understandings of time.

Marychurch’s practice often references the visual language of tukutuku and other customary Māori forms, reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens. By working with materials such as woollen blankets—objects historically tied to colonial trade and exchange—she addresses themes of dispossession, resilience, reclamation, and repair.

Her work does not seek to resolve the tensions between cultures, histories, and identities, but instead makes visible the complex intersections between them. Through her sculptural practice, Nadia Marychurch creates spaces for reflection, connection, and dialogue around heritage, memory, and collective experience.