Could you tell me about your art?
I like to explore the relationships people have with treasured objects. I’m inspired by my Māori culture and narratives of people and the environment, so I incorporate designs from Māori art and life in Aotearoa, New Zealand. My work is created with an element of intuition and utilises strong, contrasting colour to bring to life layers of story onto the canvas, until the image starts to dance with juxtapositions and light. My current works include medium to large canvasses, live performance paintings and installations.
When and how did you first fall in love with art?
When I was young and on holiday from school, I would go with my grandmother to her work. She was a guide at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, in Rotorua, New Zealand. The Institute featured a traditional Māori village, tours around the geothermal area and all kinds of Māori art.
On the walking tour for visiting tourists, I would listen to my grandmother talk about the history of the people and the land. The intricately carved wooden sculptures, refined greenstone pendants and garments made from intricately woven flax fibre I saw while with her made me appreciate how intricately connected the artworks were with the people and their stories. It is here I realised the importance of artworks as receptacles of knowledge and stories.
If you could add one artwork to your collection, what would it be and why?
It’s so hard to choose just one. I really love expressionist works, such as Claude’s Monet’s- Water Lillies, because the colours dance and make the painting come alive. Another important piece for me is Hinetitama by New Zealand artist Robyn Kahukiwa. This was one of the most inspirational paintings I saw growing up, because it reflected my worldview back to me in a picture.
What have you been working on recently?
I have recently been working on performance-inspired painting, where I paint alongside other artists such as musicians and vocalists. We respond to each other while we create a body of work in front of a live audience. I find this process takes my work in new and exciting directions. Not only that, but the process of collaboration also means others have a part in the journey of creation. The other artists become a key part of the process and the audience have a privileged insight into the creation of the work.