A collection of handcrafted woollen manu may be small, but they tell a much bigger story about friendship, creativity and the personal connections that make art meaningful.

The unique figures are among the works featured in Private View, showing at Tauranga Art Gallery until October 25. The exhibition brings together artworks usually found in private homes across Tauranga Moana, revealing not just the artworks themselves, but a glimpse into the locals who collect and live with them.

For Tauranga’s Keri Welham, the display marks the first time all eight handcrafted manu have been reunited since they were created.

“It’s actually a really cool moment to walk into the gallery and see the group represented,” Welham said. “It’s been such a positive period of our lives and then to see that going out into the world through our little dolls has been quite a buzz.”

The figures belong to members of the Toi Ataata Collective, a group of seven women who began collecting contemporary New Zealand art during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020.

Rather than building individual collections, the friends pooled their resources to support artists while learning more about contemporary art.

“We thought we’d be able to support a much larger number of artists and learn a lot more about art,” Welham said. “Personally, it helped us figure out what we loved.”

One of the manu figures by artist Te Maari in the Private View exhibition. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Today the collective jointly owns about 22 artworks, which rotate between members’ homes every six months. Annual trips to galleries and art fairs have become a tradition, with members debating and voting on potential purchases before adding new works to their shared collection.

Not every artwork is everyone’s favourite.

“We had lots of conversations at the beginning about how we wouldn’t only be buying things that each individual really loved,” Welham said. “There’s one work I really didn’t like at first, but once it lived in my house it became a bit like a friend. That became part of the learning too.”

The handcrafted manu featured in Private View are different. Unlike the collective’s shared artworks, each figure is individually owned and was specially commissioned from artist Te Maari, who now lives in the United Kingdom.

Instead of sending photographs, each member wrote a personal letter introducing themselves. They also chose a bird - or, in one case, a moth - that best represented them.

“It was surprisingly confronting,” Welham said. “You had to sum yourself up in just a few paragraphs.”

Using those letters, Te Maari created distinctive felt and Shetland wool figures filled with deeply personal details.

“I mentioned in passing that I very occasionally wear bright red lipstick, and my figure has these tiny little touches of red through the hairline. It’s extraordinary how someone can read three paragraphs and create something that feels like you.”

‘Landscape with…[Riwaka] 1974’, oil on canvas, by Toss Woollaston with furnishings curated by Kathrine McDonald. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

While the collective owns paintings by leading contemporary artists including Yuki Kihara, Ayesha Green and others, Welham believes the manu were the perfect choice for Private View.

“They have a story that goes beyond the artwork itself,” she said. “Art is about stories, and we’ve become quite addicted to learning about artists, their process and their vision.

“And seeing our collection of manu by Te Maari, together for the first time in this exhibition, feels a little like the story of our friendship has been brought to life in wool and felt.”

That sense of connection is exactly what Private View celebrates.

Alongside works by artists including Gretchen Albrecht, Ralph Hotere, Reuben Paterson, Robin White and Toss Woollaston, the exhibition explores the relationship between art, interiors and everyday life, with furniture and furnishings curated by interior designer Kathrine McDonald.

For Welham, joining the collective transformed her relationship with art.

“I was an absolute newbie in 2020,” Welham said. “Now I’ve got my own collection and I’m also a founding trustee of Tauranga’s Font public art trust. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Private View is on display at Tauranga Art Gallery until October 25.