The Windows Are Alive is curated by Daniel John Corbett Sanders and Aych McArdle, featuring works by the following artists exhibited at the following locations on and around Karangahape Road:

Jaimee Stockman Young ­– Las Vegas Club
Bronte Perry – Lifewise
Samuel Te Kani – Peach Pit
Tommo Jiang – Rose Tinted Flowers
Abbey Gamit – Paper Bag Princess
Allyson Hambert – Coco’s Cantina
Pati Solomona Tyrell – The Keep

Hape was great Māori chief, revered to this day as one of the founders of the Tainui iwi, and he was probably one of their early tohunga or priests.  Some of the stories suggest he was a seer or mystic with magical powers, possibly even a demi-god.  Hape’s name literally means ‘club foot’, although it can also mean ‘rejected’ or ‘left behind’.

When the Tainui waka was about to set sail to Aotearoa, only people in the best physical condition were selected.  Due to his club foot, Hape was not one of those selected, and he was left behind in Hawaiki.  The voyage to Aotearoa was long and arduous, and most of those onboard forgot about Hape.

As the people disembarked on the shores of the Waitematā Harbour, they could see a man standing on a distant hill.  It was Hape.  He had used his powers to summon a giant stingray to transport him, and had arrived in Aotearoa weeks earlier.

He stood on the ridge and called out a karanga or greeting to those on the beach.  Thus, the ridge became known as Te Karanga ā Hape – The Place of the Calling of Hape.

We call on the story of Hape as a source of strength and inspiration for K’ Road, which has across recent decades been known as a place of the disenfranchised or the neglected.

Karangahape Road has had many different groups make it their home – from our tangata whenua and Pacific communities to the sex industry and queer communities.  This stretch of road is a special piece in the rich cultural heritage of Auckland.  Throughout K’ Road’s many incarnations, it has always been a place of community and industry, a place where those ‘left behind’ have thrived.

For the 2017 Auckland Pride Festival, K’ Road is proud to create a space for local artists and retailers to collaborate, acknowledging the story of Hape and the richness of the people who call this strip home.