“Discussion of the extent to which the modern artists move away from or stay within, the traditions of their ancestors often has one underlying assumption. Traditional art was more or less fixed, frozen in artistic time and space. Yet this is not so. It is the qualities of dynamic change, invention and growth which have always characterized Māori art, which have always provoked and inspired the artist's response to - and mastery of - available materials and technology. The spirit of discovery was an ongoing and sustaining process, and this - far more than any correct, classical image - is the basis of what is traditional, of what is essential to the continually evolving art of the Māori people.”
- Waikato Museum of Art and History
Para’s work reflects the above statement, showing assurance and integration of his units - traditional Māori symbols and patterns are absorbed and transcribed into a personal universal language. He speaks to both Māori and Pakeha alike, and to those aware of international trends.
Press
→ Launching a New Canoe: The Art of Para Matchitt, Accent, September 1987
→ The Principle of Change in Maori Art, Art New Zealand, Issue 45, Summer 1987/88