Robyn Kahukiwa (born 1938) is an Australian-born New Zealand artist, award-winning children's book author, and illustrator. Kahukiwa has created a significant collection of paintings, books, prints, drawings, and sculptures.

Life

Kahukiwa was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1938. She trained as a commercial artist and later moved to New Zealand at the age of nineteen.Kirker, Anne. ''New Zealand Women Artists'' Reed Methuen, 1986 Kahukiwa's early artworks were inspired by discovering her Māori heritage. Māori on her mother's side, Kahukiwa is of

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zeala ...

Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti is a Māori '' iwi'' (tribe) on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Its ''rohe'' (tribal area) covers the area from Tawhiti-a-Paoa Tokomaru Bay to Te Toka-a-Taiau Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island of New ...

Ngāti Hau Ngāti Hau are the Māori ''iwi'' (tribes) of the Whanganui River area in New Zealand. There are two stories of where the name ''Ngāti Hau'' comes from. One is that it comes from Haupipi, who arrived in New Zealand on the '' Aotea'' canoe, aft ...

, Ngāti Konohi and Whanau-a-Ruataupare descent.

Career

From 1972 to 1980, Kahukiwa was a regular exhibitor at the Academy in Wellington. In the 1980s, Kahukiwa gained prominence in New Zealand after her exhibition ''Wāhine Toa'' (strong women), which toured the country.Dunn, Michael. ''New Zealand Painting: A Concise History'' Auckland University Press, 2004 This exhibition drew on Māori myth and symbolism. One of the pieces, '' Hinetītama'', is in the permanent collection at

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 ...

. Kahukiwa's work often deals with themes of colonialism and the dispossession of indigenous people, motherhood and blood-ties, social custom and mythology. In a 2004 article, Kahukiwa implements "political activism in subject matter and method into powerful images that assert Māori identity and tradition." She is a "staunch supporter of Māori rights and the power and prestige of Māori women." Kahukiwa's works are influenced by

Colin McCahon Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a prominent New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston an ...

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary d ...

and Frida Kahlo. In 2011, Kahukiwa was awarded with the Te Tohu Toi Kē Award from Te Waka Toi, the Māori arm of

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

Publications

* Taniwha (1986) * Paikea (1993) * The Koroua and the Mauri Stone (1994) * Kēhua (1996) * Supa Heroes: Te Wero (2000) * Koha (2003) * Matatuhi (2007) * The forgotten Taniwha (2009) * Tutu Taniwha (2010) * Te Marama (2011) * The Boy and the Dolphin (2016) * Ngā Atua: Māori Gods (2016) With writer

Patricia Grace Patricia Frances Grace (; born 17 August 1937) is a New Zealand Māori writer of novels, short stories, and children's books. She began writing as a young adult, while working as a teacher. Her early short stories were published in magazines ...

: * The Kuia and the Spider (1981) * Watercress Tuna and the Children of Champion Street (1984) * Wāhine Toa: Women of Māori Myth (1984) With

Joy Cowley Cassia Joy Cowley (; born 7 August 1936) is a New Zealand author best known for her children's fiction, including the popular series of books Mrs. Wishy-Washy. Cowley started out writing novels for adults, and her first book, ''Nest in a Fal ...

: * Grandma’s stick (1982) * Hatupatu and the birdwoman (1982) With Rangimarie Sophie Jolley: * The Blue Book (2014)

Awards

*1994 LIANZA Young People's Non-Fiction Award (now known as

Elsie Locke Elsie Violet Locke (née Farrelly; 17 August 1912 – 8 April 2001) was a New Zealand communist writer, historian, and leading activist in the feminism and peace movements. Also available to subscribers at Oxford Reference Online'. Probably bes ...

Award) for ''Paikea'' *201
Te Tohu Toi Kē
, Making a Difference Award

References

External links