Uku Rere

Uku Rere is a survey of contemporary ceramics by Baye Riddell, Manos Nathan, Colleen Urlich, Wi Taepa and Paerau Corneal.

Pataka is proud to present this ground-breaking exhibition in partnership with Toi Maori, showing ceramics by the five principal members of Nga Kaihanga Uku: Baye Riddell, Manos Nathan, Colleen Urlich, Wi Taepa and Paerau Corneal.

The Nga Kaihanga Uku organisation of Maori clay workers began in 1986 by a group of artists drawn together by the common desire to make artworks in clay based on Kaupapa Maori.

Maori had no tradition of working creatively with clay so Nga Kaihanga Uku provided a co-operative network for artists interested in this medium enabling them to share knowledge and skills.

This exhibition tells the story of Nga Kaihanga Uku from its beginnings in relation to Maori mythology and the stories that have followed since.

Up to 60 hand-built ceramic works will chart the creative progress of these dynamic members of the movement over the last 25 years and indicate some of their directions of future development. Viewers will gain insights into the individual ceramic practices of each artist and be shown how they connect to the philosophies of the broader collective.