Recently recovering from a near-fatal health scare, Māori ceramic artist Wi Taepa has undergone an intense period of self reflection that has resulted in perhaps his most intimate exhibition to date.

This new series deals with both physical and cultural survival. The works embody the struggles of Māori as a collective, as well as Taepa’s personal experience of the Vietnam War and the continuing affects of post-traumatic stress disorder. They are the reflections of an artist, soldier, father and environmentalist.

For Taepa, working with clay is a way of returning to the earth, a therapeutic grounding and a means to deal with his demons while searching for a better future for him and his mokopuna.