Ngā Kaihanga Uku

Ngā Kaihanga Uku is a New Zealand collective of Māori Clayworkers. They formed in 1986 during a Ngā Puna Waihanga (Māori Artists and Writers collective) gathering, under the leadership of Baye Riddell and Manos Nathan.^[1] Founding members also include Paerau Corneal, Colleen Waata Urlich and Wi Taepa.^[2]

Contemporary Māori clay artists

Ngā Kaihanga Uku was formed to support the growing use of clay within Māori-based art practices in the 1980s.^[1] Although customary Māori society was not a ceramic culture, the intrinsic properties and physical relationship of clay being from the earth offered Māori clay artists a new avenue through which to portray Māori lives and knowledge. Hineahuone for example, who is considered to be the first human, was formed by clay at Kurawaka.^[3] As Wi Taepa states, ‘Clay is more than an artistic material, it is a blood relative. Working with it requires an understanding of the genealogical links between humanity and Papatūānuku (earth).^[1]^[4]

Selected exhibitions

2013-4 Uku Rere: Ngā Kaihanga Uku & beyond Pataka Art + Museum, Whangarei Art Museum: Te Manawa Toi, The Suter Art Gallery: Te Aratoi o Whakatu, Waikato Museum: Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, Tairawhiti Museum: Te Whare Taonga o te Tairawhiti, and Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science + History, Palmerston North.^[5]
2003-5 Ngā Toko Rima Ngā Kaihanga Uku. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Tinakori Gallery, Wellington.^[6]
1998 Uku! Uku! Uku! International Festival of the Arts, Wellington.^[7]
1994 Kurawaka The Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt.^[3]

Publications

Kedgley, H. Nicholas, D. (2013) Uku Rere: Ngā Kaihanga Uku & Beyond. Pataka Art + Museum, Porirua City.
Urlich, Colleen Waata. (2009) Nga Kaihanga Uku: National Collective of Māori Clayworkers Dargaville NZ.
Riddell, Baye. (2023) Ngā Kaihanga Uku Māori Clay Artists. Te Papa Press. Wellington, NZ.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kedgley, Helen; Nicholas, Darcy (2013). Uku Rere: Ngā Kaihanga uku & Beyond. Porirua City: Pataka Art + Museum.
^ "Ngā Kaihanga Uku". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b Urlich, Colleen Waata (2009). Ngā Kaihanga Uku: National Collective of Māori Clayworkers. Dargaville: C. Urlich.
^ "Papatūānuku - the land". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
^ "Uku Rere". Toi Māori. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
^ Smith, Huhana; Solomon, Oriwa; Tamarapa, Awhina; Tamati-Quenell, Megan; Heke, Norm (2007). Taiawhio II: Contemporary Māori Artists 18 new conversations. Wellington: Te Papa Press. ISBN 9780909010096.
^ McPherson, Heather; King, M; Evans, J; Nunn, M (1992). Spiral 7: a collection of lesbian art and writing from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Dunedin: Spiral. ISBN 0908896247.