Abigail Aroha Jensen

Abigail Aroha Jensen is an artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her whakapapa is from the coastal regions of Muriwai and Tokomaru bay. Her iwi affiliations are to Ngāti Porou through Te Whānau-a-Tūwhakairiora and Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare; and Ngāi Tāmanuhiri through Rangiwaho. Across the waters she comes from County Antrim, of the Crow and Steele clan from Ballyclare, and Belfast.

She works in a way that places herself within her whakapapa by responding to space with oro, painting and installation. Oro, the unseen, Oro, an intuitive process. For Abigail, the sonar experience of oro is an exploration deep within whatumanawa, hinengaro and Tinana. Whakapapa carries the same sentiment, speaking not only to your genealogy but the history that runs parallel to it. Through this understanding of person and place, Abigail works with her surroundings to extract knowledge and embrace criticisms. Previous works include Occupied territories at RM gallery with Avigail Allan and Naomi Allan (2021); Manawa i te Kāniwha (2021) in collaboration with George Watson for Artspace Aotearoa; as well as Pūtahitanga Kura, their second collaboration for The Lightship - A contemporary arts platform at Bledisloe wharf on the Ports of Tāmaki Makaurau. Her current work Lamentation of Ruataupare is on at Papatūnga gallery, with an upcoming group show ATA KOIA! At Te Tuhi Gallery.

IG: a.ro.ha