Overview

The rise of an impressive ceramics movement is one of the more striking developments in contemporary Maori art. Clayworking and pottery firing was an ancient Pacific practice, but the knowledge had largely been lost by the ancestors of Maori before they arrived in Aotearoa. After the national clayworkers' collective, Nga Kaihanga Uku, was established in 1987, traditional ancestral knowledge and customs and connections with indigenous cultures with unbroken ceramic traditions helped shape a contemporary Maori expression in clay. This book is the first comprehensive overview of Maori claywork, its origins, loss and revival. Richly illustrated, it introduces readers to the practices of the five founders of Nga Kaihanga Uku and also surveys the work of the next generation

Full Product Details

9780995138452

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""Ngā Kaihanga Uku: Māori Clay Artists was a revelation to me. The photography shines, and the project of capturing this history and these artists make reading book feel like an honour."" -- The Spinoff, Claire Mabey ""This book highlights the role of artists as trailblazers in Māori culture, looking back to look forward, as risk-takers and experimental in their practice. Their hands are dipped deep in red clay, beckoning us to come forth with them on their constant journeys of discovery. As Riddell reminds us: He aha te mea nui, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata."" -- Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books, reviewed by Ngarino Ellis ""Illustrated with archival photography from the group’s various hui and wānanga, as well as a generous selection of work images, the book trances the development of the collective, but also of each discrete artist, seeing their individual sensibilities evolve in manifold directions."" -- Art New Zealand, reviewed by Don Abbott ""A luscious, invaluable introduction not just to how this school of creatives came to be but how te ao Māori can underpin a three-dimensional art discipline."" -- Home Magazine ""It’s fascinating because this is about rediscovering a lost tradition . . . a reaching back."" -- RNZ Nine to Noon, reviewed by Paul Diamond"

Author Information

Baye Pewhairangi Riddell (Ngati Porou and Te Whanau-a-Ruataupare) became a full-time potter in 1974, the first Maori artist to commit to this profession. In 1986, with Manos Nathan, he was a co-founder of Nga Kaihanga Uku, the national Maori clayworkers' collective. In 1989 he and Nathan were awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to establish an exchange with Native American artists. He was awarded the Creative New Zealand Craft/Object Fellowship in 2011.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available