Press Release – Rokowhiria to host first exhibition by artist Ayesha Green in Waitaha Canterbury
This summer, Rokowhiria Art & Heritage is thrilled to host The Highlander’s Farewell, an exhibition by Ayesha Green (Kāi Tahu (Ōtākou), Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Pākehā). Born in Ōtautahi Christchurch and now based in Bangkok, Thailand, Green explores mātauraka Māori, nation-building and the relationship between empire and indigeneity through her art.
In The Highlander’s Farewell, Green examines nineteenth-century Scottish migration to Aotearoa New Zealand, considering the underpinning social and political factors behind it and the implications for a new nation.
In 2024 Green spent five months travelling through Great Britain, visiting historical sites and her own ancestral whenua. This research led her to trace what she describes as a whakapapa of colonisation: the cultural suppression, displacement and economic forces that drove working-class Scots from their lands.
By endeavouring to bring a more nuanced understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s colonial histories, Green explores the entanglements and points of connection between them, including the grief that comes through the separation from ancestral land. Through painting, drawing and sculpture, she reworks historical images to question romantic views of landscape and the power they can conceal.
Green is a prominent contemporary artist in Aotearoa, and has exhibited throughout the country in group and solo exhibitions, including at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, The Dowse Art Museum and Hastings City Art Gallery Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga and Te Papa Tongarewa.
The Highlander’s Farewell has been developed specifically for Rokowhiria and will be Green’s first solo exhibition in Waitaha Canterbury. She has expressed the importance of telling stories in and about Te Waipounamu the South Island. Her Scottish ancestors settled in Alford Forest, near Ashburton. Drawing on both her Scottish and Māori heritage, Green explores how these histories meet in Te Waipounamu.
There will be a public opening event for The Highlander’s Farewell on Friday 20 November at 6pm. The event will feature music by Christchurch-based duo Entrada, specialising in traditional Celtic and Continental European dance music from the 17th century to the present day.
On Saturday 21 November at 12pm join us for an artist talk with Ayesha, where she will discuss her exhibition in detail. Following this, she will run a painting workshop for adults from 2pm – 5pm. For more information or to book tickets for this workshop, please see our website: www.rokowhiria.org.nz
This exhibition was developed with the support of Creative New Zealand.
Exhibition dates:
16 November 2026 – 14 February 2027
Free entry
Opening night:
Friday 20 November, 6pm
Free entry
Artist Talk:
Saturday 21 November, 12pm
Free entry
Workshop:
Saturday 21 November, 2pm – 5pm
Tickets $30
Rokowhiria hours:
Open 10am – 4pm daily
Free entry
For more information and high-res images, contact:
Jenny Partington
Marketing & Engagement
Coordinator
Rokowhiria Art & Heritage
jenny.partington@adc.govt.nz
