Tāwhai Rickard
Ngāti Uepohatu, Ngāti Porou
‘Te Kooti’
Tawhai is an award-winning contemporary Māori artist from Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, Gisborne, whose practice explores the complex social, political and cultural histories of Aotearoa New Zealand. Working predominantly across painting, whakairo and sculptural assemblage, Tāwhai combines reclaimed materials, traditional Māori visual language and elements of Pop Art to create bold, thought-provoking works.
His practice draws inspiration from his whakapapa, particularly the figurative paintings of his ancestral wharenui, Hinetapora, at Mangahanea Marae in Ruatōria. Through humour, satire and historical storytelling, Tāwhai challenges conventional narratives of colonisation, identity and biculturalism, encouraging viewers to question, reflect and reconsider the past and its relationship to contemporary Aotearoa. His achievements include the 2023 National Contemporary Art Award, the 2022 Walker & Hall Waiheke Premier Art Award, the 2018 Miles Art Award - Surpreme Award, the 2016 inaugural winner of the ‘Te Hā’ Art Award - Tai Rawhiti Museum, the Supreme Art Award of the 2014 Battle of Gate Pā 150th Commemoration (Pukehinahina), Tauranga Moana. Tāwhai is represented by Tim Melville Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau.
’Te Kooti’ draws upon the legacy of nineteenth-century Māori prophet, leader and visionary Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki, whose influence extended beyond spirituality and resistance into the evolution of Māori visual culture. Blending traditional Māori imagery with a contemporary Pop Art aesthetic, Te Kooti invites viewers to reconsider Aotearoa’ history and the enduring influence of Māori leadership, creativity and resistance.
Details: 29cm x 21cm x 2cm
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CURRENT BID: $175.00
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