2022 Te Karere Interview with Wi Taepa on the occasion of his appointment to be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit Born 1946 WellingtonTe Arawa, Ngati Pikiao, Te AtiawaWi Taepa was a display artist before he enlisted for the New Zealand Army and served in Vietnam. He later worked in security, in the penal system and the Department of Social Welfare. In 1983 he was involved in the carving projects at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, and the Orongomai Marae, Upper Hutt. He followed this with a period of study in craft design at Whitirea Polytechnic and has been a tutor there since 1993.As a student he worked with a number of media, including clay, which offered him a welcome level of freedom. It contrasted with the tight specifications usually imposed when he carved stone or wood. His imagery evolved from his Maori heritage: the designs of the past and listening to historical narratives fed his fertile mind. Whakapapa (genealogy) provided the content, and he honored this by revisiting early styles of working.Taepa enjoys reclaiming and transposing little-known processes to his clay work. One of the techniques he uses is punch marking, which is an old way of working that evolved from notching in very early Maori carving and is only occasionally seen. He looks to the way curvilinear lines were created without stone chisels, and replaces very basic tools like sticks with contemporary man made tools. The simple stick marks are replicated with an egg slice or a ballpoint pen, and patterns are rolled as if onto fabric. There are references to rolled color and punch marks in the Lapita pottery traditions of Samoa, and Taepa is keen to explore any possible connections between Maori carving and Lapita pots.His works are hand built and unglazed. Taepa likes to work very fast to capture the spontaneity of his first thoughts. He recognizes that clay is not a medium which can be wholly controlled. He likes to let the colors from the earth emerge during firing as they do in nature – not just the red, white and black associated with Maori art, but a broad color spectrum that includes maroons, the silvers and greys of trees as well as the colors of animals, sea and plant life.His earliest forms in clay referred to utensils like gourds and pieces of weapons. The asymmetrical growth rings of trees like kanuka inspired their surface treatment, and the forms were made slightly off-centre to personalize them. Some of his forms come from Maori ceremony, but by expanding the scale of them the way the viewer engages with the work changes. He is able to present a different viewpoint. An example is a huge feeding funnel which would be used in order not to break the tapu (taboo) imposed when moko (traditional tattoo) is applied. He also makes canoe forms that evoke how Maori came to New Zealand.The beautifully detailed, doughnut shaped work Ipu (vessel) was created for Uku! Uku! Uku! At the International Festival of the Arts, Wellington, 1998. So too were a number of sculptural pieces like boundary pegs. In the past Maori would define boundaries with groups of stones or carved pieces of wood. Taepa created minimalist, faceless works in clay that evoked these markers – like god-sticks. They are a shift from his earlier, more easily recognized figures: here the stance or shape of the head gives viewers clues, yet allows them to tell their own stories. 2022 Taepa has been named an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori art, particularly ceramics2001 Works in Ceramics and Bronze, Glenn Green Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico2000Father and Sons , “Chip off the Old Block” Pataka , PoriruaOpening Exhibition Kura Gallery, Wellington1999“Rim of Fire”—Pataka Porirua Museum of Arts and Culture“Nga Korero Aotearoa” – Dowse Art MuseumKura Gallery, Taupo“Clay Te Pai” Geoff Wilson Gallery WhangareiBFA Graduation Exhibition Wanganui19984 Exhibition—4 Workshops—clay, stone, boneMajor Exhibitions:“Uku-Uku-Uku” New Zealand Festival of the ArtsPage 90 opening of the new Porirua Art CentreResearch production manager- “Uku-Uku-Uku” New Zealand Festival of the ArtsJames Wallace Gallery, AucklandExhibitions- “Haka” Bath, EnglandExhibitions- San Francisco, USACHACDS Conference- Palmerston North1998 Whitirea Polytechnic – Certificate Adult Teaching—Accelerated Learning CertificateResident Artist Mentor – 1994-98 Wanganui RC Polytechnic1997Exhibitions 8 workshops -- Clay, Stone, BoneTe Papa TongaweraDowse Art Resource CenterResearch for New Zealand Festival of the Arts ExhibitionMajor Sculpture Porirua City Arts1996Workshops 8 Exhibitions -- 3 Major Exhibitions:“Patua” City Art Gallery, Wellington – International Festival of the Arts7th Pacific Festival of the Arts, Samoa“Kupenga” stone Symposium, New Plymouth2 Solo Exhibitions1995-61995 6 Workshops – workshops – clay, 7 exhibitionsGuest artist – NZ Potters ConferenceGuest Artist – Bishop Suter Gallery, NelsonInvited Artist—International Symposium of Contemporary Indigenous Visual ArtsMajor Exhibition – Zimbabwe National Art Gallery, Harare, AfricaResearch trip – Brisbane, Bangkok, London,Rome,Paris, Nairobi, Zimbabwe199410 Workshops – Clay, stone 6 Exhibitions – 3 Major“NZ Choice” Rancho Santiago College, Santa Ana, USAContemporary Maori Art Exhibition – International Festival of the Arts“Kurawaka” – 5 Maori clay workers—Dowse Art MuseumQualifications:1999, 1997, 1998-92, 1980, 1978• BFA Wanganui Regional Polytechnic• Massey University-Maori Design Nga Hanga Whakairo• Whitirea Polytechnic – Diploma Craft Design• Wellington Polytechnic- Quantity Cookery – Maori Intensive Language course• Prison Staff College – Penology – Acts and Regulation