Moewai Marsh
Ko Whakapunake rāua ko Aoraki ōku maunga
Ko Te Wairoa Hopupu Honengenenge Matangi Rau tōku awa
Ko Takitimu tōku waka
Ko Kāi Tahu rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu ōku iwi
Ko Putahi rāua ko Rangiahua ōku marae
Ko Ōtepoti tōku kāinga
Ko Moewai Rauputi tōku ingoa
I am a recent graduate from the Dunedin School of Art, majoring in Painting. Art school helped to develop my practice; lately, I have been trying to continue from my mahi since leaving the institution. I struggled enormously throughout my degree, I am a wahine Māori, and one important thing was finding out who I am as I wanted to incorporate my culture into my artwork.
I was not brought up speaking te reo Māori and had little involvement in anything Māori in school. I had to learn on my own, through wānanga courses and much of my own research, which also helped me. I feel like I’m only at the beginning, and I hate that I’ve neglected it for so long. However, I’ve committed the past year or so, and I want to continue prioritising learning as much as possible about my culture. I am happy I’ve found a tool that I am very passionate about to express my Māoritanga through my painting.
These pieces are a continuation of my 2019 series titled "Te Manawa Ora" The Breath of Life.
Te Manawa Ora focused on elements of the land and the Māori symbolism of the Hei-Tiki. Each Hei-Tiki used in my paintings, I have found on a website that is selling off these taonga for money. The wairua of the Hei-Tiki is lost, and they aren't being recognised for their taonga. I have woven the imagery of Papatūānuku into the exterior and interior of the Hei-Tiki.
My paintings reflect on the strong sense of spirituality the land has to Māori, as well as the significant life force present in the tiki. "Te Manawa Ora" created a new life for these abandoned tiki through a different lens. Together, I believe they create a much deeper landscape forming layers of whakapapa with every stroke painted. I work closely with the Earth combining clay, soil, water from certain locations, and many other elements embedded in each work. The Hei-Tiki is much more than a shape in my paintings. It is Life. It is power. It is a living, breathing spirit.
With each painting, I am creating a new purpose for these lost tiki, a new life within the land, and a new aspect of taonga.
