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 Baye Pewhairangi Riddell (born 1950) is a New Zealand ceramicist, composer and musician of Ngāti Porou and :mi:Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare descent. Riddell was born in Tokomaru Bay in 1950 and began working with clay in the e ...

and

Manos Nathan Manos Ross Nathan (20 December 1948 – 2 September 2015) was a New Zealand ceramicist. Born in Rawene, Hokianga, to Eruera and Katina (née Toraki) Nathan, he was of Māori (Te Roroa, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāpuhi) descent on his father's side and Gr ...

. Founding members also include Paerau Corneal,

Colleen Waata Urlich Colleen Elizabeth Waata-Urlich (1939 – 10 September 2015) was a New Zealand ceramicist. Of Māori descent, she belonged to Te Popoto o Ngāpuhi ki Kaipara and Te Rarawa. Through education, involvement in Māori art collectives and production ...

and

Wi Taepa Wi Te Tau Pirika Taepa (born 1946, in Wellington) is a significant figure in contemporary New Zealand ceramics, and a leading figure in contemporary Māori clay art. Early career and training After leaving school, Taepa worked as a window dis ...

Contemporary Māori clay artists

Ngā Kaihanga Uku was formed to support the growing use of clay within Māori-based art practices in the 1980s. 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. 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).

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 Te Manawa (Māori: ''The Heart'') is a museum, art gallery and science centre in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It is operated by the Te Manawa Museums Trust, a charitable trust incorporated on 20 August 1999. From that date, the Trust assumed r ...

Museum of Art, Science + History, Palmerston North. *2003-5 ''Ngā Toko Rima'' Ngā Kaihanga Uku.

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

; Tinakori Gallery, Wellington. *1998 ''Uku! Uku! Uku!'' International Festival of the Arts, Wellington. *1994 ''Kurawaka''

The Dowse Art Museum The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD, The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodelled in 201 ...

, Lower Hutt.

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

External links

Crafts and Applied Arts

Ngā Kaihanga Uku on Radio New Zealand National
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nga Kaihanga Uku New Zealand artist groups and collectives New Zealand Māori artists