Join us on Friday 20 September 2024, 1-2pm to hear toi Māori artist Zena Elliott (Te Kahupaake, Te Pahipoto, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Rangitihi, Te Whānau ā Haraawaka, Ngāti Awa) explore the art of whakairo from the perspective of an unearthed toki pounamu adze.
Through visual storytelling and creative expression, Elliott’s creative research project centralises whakairo as an apparatus for storytelling and worldbuilding. Carving into the future, re-imagining the past, and constructing a thriving sci-fi-inspired future are the core aims within Elliott's contemporary whakairo practice.
The presentation explores the creative processes of whakairo and its potential as a rongoā (Māori healing) remedy for Māori worldbuilding carved with resilience, renewal and transformation.
About Zena Elliott
Zena Elliott is a contemporary transdisciplinary artist and creative researcher whose practice explores painting, whakairo, installation, academia, and research. Their work stimulates discussions about gender, fluidity, visibility, Māori Indigenous subcultures, Māori sovereignty, popular culture and self-determination. Elliott’s art practice navigates and integrates these diverse disciplines, creating a space for curiosity, innovation, and Indigenous creative practice, serving as a research inquiry.