Tuku Iho (Robert Jahnke, 2015)

A cube of one-way mirror glass and neon letters by Robert Jahnke at Corban Estate Arts Centre in their exhibition “Nga aho taruarua” (on until July 17, 2016).

From the exhibition notes:

Neon and one way mirrored glass are utilised in Tuku Iho (2015), resulting in a repetition of words that appears infinite and disappears into a void of darkness. The work captures the Maori notion of the emergence of the world of light from the darkness of Te Po. Jahnke says the words can be translated as ‘to bequeath,’ conveying the Maori concept of eternity; “it is an expression that is often associated with taonga – taonga tuku iho -referring to a treasured or prized possession handed down to the current generation by ancestors”.