Ayesha Melody Green (born 1987) is a painter and artist from New Zealand. Her works are inspired by her

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

heritage and often use the kokowai pigment.

Early life and education

Green was born in 1987 in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. She is of Kāi Tahu and

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

tribal descent. She originally intended to be a filmmaker and completed a bachelor's degree in media arts at

Wintec Wintec Saddles was launched in 1986 and is a saddle brand known for the first synthetic saddles. History The company is a subsidiary of Saddlery Brands International. (formerly Bates Australia), originally established in 1934, Saddles The Easy C ...

. After developing an interest in painting, she completed a masters of fine arts at the

Elam School of Fine Arts The Elam School of Fine Arts, founded by John Edward Elam, is part of the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland. Students study degrees in fine art with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach. The schoo ...

in 2013 followed by a graduate diploma in museums and cultural heritage.

Career

In 2019 she won the National Contemporary Arts Award for her painting ''Nana's Birthday''. These awards are run by the Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato. The judge was

Fiona Pardington Fiona Dorothy Pardington (born 1961) is a New Zealand artist, her principal medium being photography. Early life and education Pardington was born Fiona Dorothy Cameron in Devonport, and was brought up on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast, where she ...

and there were 52 finalists from 300 entries. Green was awarded an Arts Foundation Springboard award in 2020. As part of this award she was mentored by Suzanne Ellison the Runaka Manager for Kati Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki. In 2020 her sculpture, ''Ko te Tuhono'', was selected by the

Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council ( mi, Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Ōtepoti) is the local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Dunedin is Jules ...

to feature as public art in

the Octagon The Octagon may refer to: *The Octagon, Christchurch, a former church in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand *The Octagon, Dunedin, the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand *The Octagon (Egypt), the headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of ...

, the city centre. It was installed in December 2021, and mayor Aaron Hawkins said its installation marked "a cultural maturing of our city". In November 2021, her

diptych A diptych (; from the Greek δίπτυχον, ''di'' "two" + '' ptychē'' "fold") is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world w ...

painting ''All of my Lovers are Immigrants (Smooth my Pillow)'' sold for 48,000 at auction; she had sold it the year before for $19,000.

Exhibitions

* 2019: ''Elizabeth The First'', Jhana Millers Gallery * 2020: ''He Tohu'', Group Exhibition, Jhana Millers Gallery * 2020: ''Wrapped Up in Clouds'',

Dunedin Public Art Gallery The Dunedin Public Art Gallery holds the main public art collection of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Located in The Octagon in the heart of the city, it is close to the city's public library, Dunedin Town Hall, and other facilities such as t ...

* 2021: ''The Right Place?'', Jhana Millers Gallery * 2021: ''Good Citizen'', Jhana Millers Gallery * 2022: ''Folk Nationalism'',

Tauranga Art Gallery Tauranga Art Gallery an Arts Gallery located in the Western Bay of Plenty District, New Zealand. The gallery exhibits historical and contemporary art. History In 1999 the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust purchased the former Bank of New Zealand buildi ...

* 2022: ''Screaming Waterfall'', Jhana Millers Gallery * 2022/23: ''Still Life'', Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery

References

External links

''Toi Tū Toi Ora Artist Profile: Ayesha Green''

Ayesha Green
on Instagram {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Ayesha 1987 births Living people New Zealand women artists New Zealand Māori artists Artists from Christchurch Elam Art School alumni Ngāi Tahu people Ngāti Kahungunu people