Panel Talk: Whenua Whatu
Saturday 1 March
FREE| 1-2pm
Speaking on the establishment of Māori Clay Artist Collective Ngā Kaihanga Uku and its ongoing influence, are panelists Baye Riddell, Tracy Keith and Paerau Corneal. In a discussion led by Dowse Director Karl Chitham, our panelists will give insight into their own practices, as well as touching on the history of contemporary Māori clay arts.
Paerau Corneal (Ngāti Uenuku ki Maunganui a te ao, Ngāti Tuwharetoa) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Whakatane, who works with wood, clay and weaving. She holds a Diploma in Craft Design Māori from Waiariki Polytechnic (1987) and a Masters in Māori Visual Arts from Massey University (2007). Paerau is a founding member of Ngā Kaihanga Uku. Corneal was also involved with Kauwae, a collective of Māori women artists formed in 1997; Te Rōpū o Ngā Wāhine Kai Whakairo, a collective of Māori women carvers and Haeata Women's Collective.[3]
Tracy Keith (Ngapuhi) Tracy Keith’s unique sculptural ceramics evoke memories of whenua (land) reflecting something at once primeval and timeless. An artist who works predominantly in raku clay, Keith stretches, pushes and moulds his forms combining an organic sensibility with shapes and embellishments that at times resemble machine parts, the artist says: “The uneven surface of each piece references the weathered and layered structures of the land and industry as an intrusive entity.” The molten glazes and metallic hues give each vessel its own character and reflects the relationship between industry and whenua (earth). Similarly, the artist adapts his understanding of whakapapa to consider the history of clay, contrasting the ancient Japanese firing technique of raku where shows interest in being led by the physical qualities of clay, and how these forms can be used to represent his experiences of te ao Māori (the Māori world view) within current times.
Baye Pewhairangi Riddell (Ngati Porou) began working with clay in 1974 as a studio potter in Christchurch, NZ. Since 1979 Riddell has worked back in his home area of the Te Tai Rawhiti – the East Coast – primarily in Tokomaru Bay. Riddell Co-founded Kaihanga Uku – Maori Clay Artists in 1987 and this group has been responsible for a huge development in Maori ceramics and in fostering international links with other indigenous clay artists. Riddell has exhibited and run courses and workshops in marae, tertiary institutions and galleries throughout NZ and internationally. Working with clays from his family land gives Riddell a deep sense of connection to his tipuna and whenua. Themes evolve in parallel , cross connect and develop over years of exploring the limitless combinations of form, scale, texture, surface treatment and firing technique.