Fire and whenua in Northland artist's Rawene show

Mike Cameron with his glass patu at Parua Bay Hall on the Whangarei Heads Arts Trail in March.

A solo exhibition opening on Saturday at Rawene's No. 1 Parnell Gallery will showcase multi-media artist Mike Cameron's passion for sculpture and carving.

His pieces in the show called Ka Mua, Ka Muri: Walking Backwards into the Future reflect spiritual and environmental concepts, and honour the past.

A recent graduate of NorthTec's Maunga Kura Toi (Bachelor of Maori Arts), Cameron combines research with his own whakaaro— insights and concepts — to develop a unique body of work.

Mike Cameron with his glass patu at Parua Bay Hall on the Whangarei Heads Arts Trail in March.

The works in his exhibition use traditional (natural) and contemporary (synthetic) materials, and are ''walking backwards'' to honour the tupuna whose wisdom and practices give shape and hope to an uncertain future.

The pieces also warn of the implications for the natural environment if the past is ignored.

Works which relate to the whariki – the woven mat used in haputonga, or birthing — replace harakeke with plastic bags and symbolise the irreparable damage done to the land.

Cameron's hometown is Whangārei, where he was born and grew up. He is a stay-at-home dad, allowing him to work in his studio on his art projects.

He has shown his works in group exhibitions in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as well as being involved in the carving of the inside of the Northtec Marae in 2015 and carving pou for the Kawhia Harbour.

Ka Mua, Ka Muri: Walking Backwards Into the Future opens at 2pm on Saturday, October 13, at No.1 Parnell Gallery, Rawene.