Nga Kaihanga Uku

“Ngā Kaihanga Uku: Māori Clay Artists was a revelation to me. The photography shines, and the project of capturing this history and these artists make reading book feel like an honour.” – The Spinoff, Claire Mabey“This book highlights the role of artists as trailblazers in Māori culture, looking back to look forward, as risk-takers and experimental in their practice. Their hands are dipped deep in red clay, beckoning us to come forth with them on their constant journeys of discovery. As Riddell reminds us: He aha te mea nui, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.” – Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books, reviewed by Ngarino Ellis“Illustrated with archival photography from the group’s various hui and wānanga, as well as a generous selection of work images, the book trances the development of the collective, but also of each discrete artist, seeing their individual sensibilities evolve in manifold directions.” – Art New Zealand, reviewed by Don Abbott“A luscious, invaluable introduction not just to how this school of creatives came to be but how te ao Māori can underpin a three-dimensional art discipline.” – Home Magazine“It’s fascinating because this is about rediscovering a lost tradition … a reaching back.” – RNZ Nine to Noon, reviewed by Paul Diamond

Baye Pewhairangi Riddell (Ngati Porou and Te Whanau-a-Ruataupare) became a full-time potter in 1974, the first Maori artist to commit to this profession. In 1986, with Manos Nathan, he was a co-founder of Nga Kaihanga Uku, the national Maori clayworkers’ collective. In 1989 he and Nathan were awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to establish an exchange with Native American artists. He was awarded the Creative New Zealand Craft/Object Fellowship in 2011.