Honoured to be part of Te Papa exhibition

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui student Fiona Walker with her artwork Te Kauwae Runga me te Kauwae Raro which was part of a student exhibition Ringa Toi at Te Papa in Wellington. Picture by Paul Rickard

An artwork by Year 13 student Fiona Walker from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui was chosen to be part of the Ringa Toi Student Exhibition at Te Papa in Wellington.

She felt honoured to be chosen to participate in the exibition which featured work from 150 student artists from around New Zealand with a focus on Māori and Pacific art.

Fiona said she was nervous while waiting to see if her art submission had been selected and was “psyched” when she found out she had got in. She celebrated that night by going out for dinner with her family.

Her work was made up of a carving and a painted canvas titled Te Kauwae Runga me te Kauwae Raro which was included in the Toi Matarau category (shaping and fashioning).

The work represents the connection between the celestial and terrestrial worlds. She used a technique called gessa to give the painting a textured quality. The carving featured designs outlined in red to represent the earth and blue to represent heaven.

“I was lucky to travel to Te Papa with my art teacher Anapera Graham to see the exhibition and talk to the other students about their work,” Fiona said.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) coordinates Ringa Toi to recognise and celebrate talented young artists as they work towards NCEA.

“Being recognised at an iconic national venue like Te Papa is a significant achievement for artists and their kura, showing there are real opportunities to be recognised and celebrated as Toi Māori and Pacific artists,” says Jann Marshall, NZQA deputy chief executive assessment. Fiona plans to follow her passion for art and has applied to EIT to do Te Toi o Ngā Rangi (Bachelor in Māori Visual Arts).