Bay of Plenty artist Mr G is intentional when it comes to his work and making sure people feel the heart behind the mahi. Photo / George Novak
Having battled depression seven years ago, artist Mr G is now on a mission to grace small town communities with visual stories of hope.
Influential artist Mr G, real name Graham Hoete, has a favourite saying: "People are impressed by our abilities, but we connect with them through our vulnerabilities."
While he was spray-painting a five-storey portrait of Maketū-born filmmaker Merata Mita in Rotorua last month, a crying woman approached him.
A longtime follower of his on social media, she'd watched him share his own depression story of "hope", and had a very personal story of her own to share about someone close to her.
Mr G could relate to it because he'd been there himself.
In 2014, while living in Australia, calamity hit. He was "burnt out" from overworking, major relationship breakdowns, and some big life disappointments.
It set in motion a self-destructive path, where he felt suicidal.
When a person reaches a place of really wanting to take their own life it's because they're in pain and have an urgent need for it to stop, the 43-year-old says.
It's a grey day when he tells this story, but it's filled with optimism.
We're sitting at a picnic table not far from his Bay of Plenty studio, in an industrial area with gabled roofs, a quiet dead-end road, and a stiff breeze.
His dark eyes match his dark T-shirt - one of his own from his G apparel range.
He's a big guy with a moko (tattoo) on his neck and jaw representing the whai (white stingray), the kaitiaki or guardian of Mōtītī Island where he's from.
He has a matter-of-fact way of storytelling, but the inflections in his voice are caring.
After taking a holistic approach to healing, which included leaning on his faith (he's been a Christian since 1997), he not only survived but changed.
"I look back at that point in my life and I'm actually thankful for it now. It's made me a better person, more compassionate, empathetic.
"Hope is now the driver of a lot of what I do."
Success for Mr G, who's worked internationally, means he is no longer governed by the need for money to make his creative decisions.
These days, he'll only do commissioned projects if they align with his artistic direction, to preserve the integrity of his work.
"As an artist, when the need for money does not factor into or influence your decision making on what you create, you can really start soaring in terms of your dreams and your ideas," he says, adding there's a responsibility that comes with that, and he is committed to being "pono" (true) and real with his nearly 130,000 followers on social media.
"It builds trust and I protect that trust in terms of being who I say I am," he says.
Despite having experimented with a myriad of art forms in his professional career since leaving his job as a graphic artist - he calls himself a "multidisciplinary artist" - his focus these days is on indigenous storytelling through open-air spray-painted portraits and murals, and Māori carvings (whakairo).
Working overseas solidified to Mr G (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui) how unique Māori artists are in being able to tell Māori stories.
"It is our superpower as indigenous artists," he says.
"We are connected to the indigenous stories we tell through our whakapapa and culture."
Before Covid-19 took over, he was going to be painting a portrait in a super pit in the South Island, which would have seen him working from a crane.
His latest work locally is a mural at Allendale Primary School of the two spiritual tīeke birds Mumuhou and Takeretou, who guided the Mātaatua waka (his ancestral waka) into Whakatāne.
"There are a lot of street artists who could paint the clouds, birds and mountains that I've painted, but that's just a technical aesthetic.
"The thing that I know makes what I do unique and special is that I'm connected to that story. We miss that aspect a lot in the visual arts. We miss the magic ingredient, which I believe is connection. (I'm) really intentional and make sure people feel the heart behind the mahi."
The power of tūmanako (hope)
That signature style is also reflected in his Tūmanako (hope) project with Te Puni Kōkiri's Rangatahi Suicide Prevention Fund, in eight New Zealand towns, including Kawerau where Mr G spent 15 years of his life.
The project, which he's partway through, sees him communicate visual-themed stories of hope through town murals.
It starts off with him sharing his life story and then spending time with kaumātua on their marae, to learn the stories of their iwi.
The elders then help him extract themes of hope from those stories.
Finally, he works with rangatahi - some of whom are disengaged from school - to come up with a design that's based on those stories.
"It's about getting them to learn their stories, but also paint their stories."
The thing about street art, says Mr G, is it's "24/7 communicating".
"It's in your face and high impact. It's just an awesome platform for communicating messages."
In Tūrangi, he painted the word Tūmanako with each letter representing a different aspect of the history of Tūrangi and Tūrangitukua-Tūwharetoa iwi; including the kids' ideas on what hope is to them.
There is a physical effort to it, he says of his work "but it's not a hard slog".
He and his wife Melissa (Millie), also his business partner and mum to their American bulldog Teddy Boy, do not have children of their own, with Melissa having struggled with fertility, and they share a "genuine heart and love" for the rangatahi they work with, as well as anyone having experienced mamae (pain).
Together, the pull to help the "broken" is so strong that next year they will embark on their biggest project yet.
As well as starting an online support group for men - Cup of Tea with Mr G,
he and Melissa, both former youth pastors who are studying manaaki tangata at Te Wānanga O Aotearoa, will be starting a church in Tauranga in the New Year, called Te Hahi o Tūmanako.
The church will be tiriti-centric and a reflection of the couple's own relationship with him being Māori and her European.
There will also be a focus on encouraging the use of te reo Māori, and creating a space where Māori and non-Māori feel welcome.
"It's primarily about creating a space where broken people can find hope. I've been walking this walk (for a long time). Why we're doing it is both my wife and I, we understand the power of hope, and we want to share that hope.
"I've taken tangi of young fullas who have taken their lives. In those spaces, we don't really talk about it, and I just think someone needs to up and share that message, man. I've just had to get over what people might say or think about me and I'm doing it for the people who are struggling."
He's been inspired by those around him and now it's his turn to inspire.
"Inspiration causes you to lift your eyes and dream. I think it's an attribute of hope too and healing someone who is down ... They get to a point where they can start to lift their eyes and dream again.
"Having a dream towards their future is just as powerful as healing their past hurts.
"Part of my journey is I've taken a lot of risks and some have paid off, some haven't, but it's taught me nothing ventured nothing gained."
Mr G doesn't believe in regrets.
"I think that's a strong word, regret. I just see things differently, I see them as lessons learned."
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.
OR IF YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE:
• LIFELINE: 0800 543 354 or 09 5222 999 within Auckland (available 24/7)
• SUICIDE CRISIS HELPLINE: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 ,free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat.
• NEED TO TALK? Free call or text 1737 (available 24/7)
• KIDSLINE: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
• DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757
• SAMARITANS – 0800 726 666.
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