Rotorua artist shares Maori culture in an international art collection

Michael Staite with some of the pieces he's created. Photo/Stephen Parker

Rotorua mixed media artist Michael Staite is grateful for the opportunity to share Maori culture in a new Italian art book.

Imago Mundi features works collected by Luciano Benetton on his travels around the world.

A collection of 210 New Zealand artists are exhibited in his gallery in Italy and showcased in a book titled Kiwi Consciousness New Zealand.

Mr Staite has been producing artwork for the past 10 years and was one of the first artists approached to be part of the collection.

His art work, titled Ko Wai Au - Who am I, represents how his whakapapa fits within the circle of life.

The piece uses acrylic, and also kokowai (indigenous clay), on canvas.

"Who Am I represents the evolution of the soul," he said.

"When you know who you are and where you're from, you have a better idea of where you're going. For me, realising who I am and my own potential as an artist, I'm able to bring more consciousness about issues I'm passionate about."

Mr Staite's work often features bold black, white and orange colours.

"The colour is really dependant on the kokowai," he said.

"I was first introduced to kokowai during a tangata wairua wananga taught by a Ngati Wai Tohunga in Hauraki and from then on always knew I'd be working with it."

After a successful exhibition last year, the art of protest, Mr Staite is preparing for new exhibitions this year.

"This year I'm having pieces in a local exhibition for Matariki. Nationally I will be in a parliamentary exhibition held by Fletcher Tabuteau and internationally I'm hoping to have an exhibition in New York at the end of the year," he said.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity and ability to share our culture at a national and international level."

The book includes a piece of writing inspired by Mr Staite's pepeha, written by Rosa Maria Falvo.

An independent writer and curator, Ms Falvo said that she was impressed by his personal and spiritual connections to the land, something that was expressed through his art.