Ngā Kaihanga Uku Explained

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.

External links

• Crafts and Applied Arts
• Ngā Kaihanga Uku on Radio New Zealand National

Notes and References

1. Book: Kedgley. Helen. Nicholas. Darcy. Uku Rere: Ngā Kaihanga uku & Beyond. 2013. Pataka Art + Museum. Porirua City.
2. Web site: Ngā Kaihanga Uku. Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 14 January 2015.
3. Book: Urlich. Colleen Waata. Ngā Kaihanga Uku: National Collective of Māori Clayworkers. 2009. C. Urlich. Dargaville.
4. Web site: Papatūānuku - the land. Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 14 January 2015.
5. Web site: Uku Rere. Toi Māori. 9 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150114111242/http://www.maoriart.org.nz/latest_news.php?news_id=95. 14 January 2015. dead.
6. Book: Smith. Huhana. Solomon. Oriwa. Tamarapa. Awhina. Tamati-Quenell. Megan. Heke. Norm. Taiawhio II: Contemporary Māori Artists 18 new conversations. 2007. Te Papa Press. Wellington. 9780909010096.
7. Book: McPherson. Heather. King. M. Evans. J. Nunn. M. Spiral 7: a collection of lesbian art and writing from Aotearoa/New Zealand. 1992. Spiral. Dunedin. 0908896247.