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.[2]
Robyn Kahukiwa | |
---|---|
Born | 1938[1] Sydney, Australia |
Nationality | New Zealand |
Known for | Painting; Writing; Illustration |
Life
editKahukiwa was born in Sydney, in 1938. She trained as a commercial artist and later moved to New Zealand at the age of nineteen.[3] Kahukiwa's early artworks were inspired by discovering her Māori heritage,[4][5] which she began doing after moving to New Zealand.[6]
Māori on her mother's side, Kahukiwa is of Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Konohi and Whanau-a-Ruataupare descent.
Career
editFrom 1972 to 1980, Kahukiwa was a regular exhibitor at the Academy in Wellington.
In 1984, Kahukiwa gained prominence in New Zealand after her exhibition Wāhine Toa (strong women), which toured the country.[7][6] This exhibition drew on Māori myth and symbolism. One of the pieces, Hinetītama, is in the permanent collection at Te Manawa.[8]
In 1995, Kahukiwa exhibited a series named My Ancestors Are Always with Me in New York.[6]
In 2011, Kahukiwa was awarded with the Te Tohu Toi Kē Award from Te Waka Toi, the Māori arm of Creative New Zealand.[2]
Influences
editKahukiwa's work often deals with themes of colonialism and the dispossession of indigenous people, motherhood and blood-ties, social custom and mythology.[9] In a 2004 article, Kahukiwa implements "political activism in subject matter and method into powerful images that assert Māori identity and tradition."[10] She is a "staunch supporter of Māori rights and the power and prestige of Māori women."[11] Kahukiwa's works are influenced by Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere and Frida Kahlo.[7]
Publications
edit- Taniwha (1986)
- Paikea (1993)
- The Koroua and the Mauri Stone (1994)
- Kēhua (1996)
- iharaira hohepa (2024)
- 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)
- the bitten Maori kuri (2024)
With writer Patricia Grace:
- 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:
- Grandma's stick (1982)
- Hatupatu and the birdwoman (1982)
With Rangimarie Sophie Jolley:
- The Blue Book (2014)
Awards
edit- 1994 LIANZA Young People's Non-Fiction Award (now known as Elsie Locke Award) for Paikea[12]
- 2011 Te Tohu Toi Kē | Making a Difference Award[13]
References
edit- ^ Hilliard, Hinemoa, Edward Lucie-Smith, and Jonathan Mane-Wheoki. The Art of Robyn Kahukiwa Reed, 2005.
- ^ a b "Bowen Galleries :: Artists Catalogue". www.bowengalleries.co.nz. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ Kirker, Anne. New Zealand Women Artists Reed Methuen, 1986
- ^ "Robyn Kahukiwa". Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (2005). Treasures from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Te Papa Press. p. 73. ISBN 1-877385-12-3.
- ^ a b c Caughey, Elizabeth; Gow, John (1997). Contemporary New Zealand Art 1. Everbest Printing. pp. 38–39. ISBN 1-86953-218-X.
- ^ a b Dunn, Michael. New Zealand Painting: A Concise History Auckland University Press, 2004
- ^ "Maori goddess returns to Te Manawa". Stuff.
- ^ Mane-Wheoki, Jonathan.The Art of Robyn Kahukiwa Reed, 2005
- ^ BAILEY, GAIL (16 November 2004). "Warrior for Maori rights and identity". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ "Robyn Kahukiwa | Adam Art Gallery". www.adamartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ Susan Leckey, ed. (2015). The Europa Directory of Literary Awards and Prizes. Routledge. p. 165. ISBN 9781135356323. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "Te Waka Toi Awards".
Further reading
edit- Eggleton, David Earth and Spirit: Robyn Kahukiwa's Mauri Ora! Exhibition Art New Zealand, 2002
- Panoho, Rangihiroa, Māori Art: History, Architecture, Landscape and Theory, Auckland: David Bateman Ltd, 2015
External links
edit- Works by Robyn Kahukiwa in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Robyn Kahukiwa: Artist, Writer, Illustrator The Sapling, 2017
- Hinetitama by Robyn Kahukiwa NZ History