Arohanui, Carmen xx Verified listing

Carmen Tione Rupe (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Heke-a-Wai) led an extraordinary life. With mana and aroha she embodied the ways of her tūpuna. The Queen from the King Country was born in 1936 and grew up in Taumarunui. As a child, she always dreamt of a big life, imagining herself as a glamourous Hollywood actress lighting up the silver screen. After years spent in Dunedin, Auckland and Sydney, Carmen arrived in Wellington in 1967 and began writing her own kind of history.

Carmen had many passions and professions, running 12 businesses across Wellington, including coffee lounges, nightclubs, tearooms, second-hand curios shops and brothels. These sites were far more than commercial enterprises. Each space was created with intention, always fabulous and exotic, where people could find solace and belonging.

Carmen knew how to make an entrance, but she was also at the forefront of social change. She advocated for sex workers’ rights, the decriminalisation of prostitution, abortion and homosexuality, and a lifelong promoter of safe sex practices. In 1977, she even ran for Mayor of Wellington and encouraged voters to ‘Get in Behind’.

Step into Carmen’s world, through glamorous outfits, intimate photographs, unseen archives and new works inspired by her life and legacy. Take a seat in a replica of Carmen’s International Coffee Lounge, see the korowai gifted to her before she left Wellington and her iconic mobility scooter — all on display together for the first time.