Nathan Pōhio

Nathan Pōhio (Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Pākehā)

Pōhio is an artist and curator operating under mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems). He is Co-Vice President of Te Ūaka Lyttleton Museum and was a founding member of Ngāi Tahu artist collective Paemanu. Pōhio was a board member of The Physicsroom 2002 – 2022, Chair 2019/21. He worked at Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Art Gallery from 2002–21 primarily as exhibition designer and assistant curator from 2015.

First exhibited in the mid-late 1990’s, Pōhio is a lens-based artist concerned with the colonial history of Aotearoa New Zealand and the ongoing impact upon the contemporary Māori experience. Pōhio has worked consistently to represent a Māori voice through predominantly silent video installation, his interests centre pre cinema histories and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) from within the contemporary Māori experience. His work was included at Documenta14, 2017, Athens and Kassel.

Pōhio took up the role Kaitiaki Matua, Toi Māori, Senior Curator Māori Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in Feb 2022.