Maori design speaks urban language

News Release
16 September 2011

Maori design speaks urban language

This October, Toi Pōneke Gallery welcomes ex-navy engineer turned artist/designer, David Hakaraia to showcase some of Wellington’s best young design talent. The exhibition Te Toi Ora: The Art of Living, opens on 30 September and will feature contemporary design pieces with a Māori narrative.

David has recently completed a Masters Degree in Design from Victoria University. This exhibition will display new work, alongside two other emerging Māori talents, Luke Mills and Earl Stewart who are both recent Industrial Design graduates.

However, David has not always had artistic ambitions. He joined the New Zealand Navy in his youth, giving him a chance to make positive changes and begin on a career path. After establishing himself as a navy engineer, David decided to turn his skilled craftsmanship into an art-form.

Alongside his art, David tutors at Victoria’s Architecture and Design campus and is a mentor for their support group Te Ropu Awhina. Hakaraia attributes his academic success with the support he received; in return he encourages young aspiring Māori and Pacific talent.

“My academic success would not have been possible without the support I was given from Te Ropu Awhina,” says David. “This motivates me to show the young ones how their own culture’s stories and designs can be pushed to greater levels, that if I can achieve success, they can too.”

In his own practice, David is interested in the line where art, craft and design intercept. Digital technologies and fabrication techniques are met with a traditional approach to hand-finished work. A table is not just an object for instance, but a chance to describe the Māori creation story of Ranginui and Papatuanuku. All his pieces including lighting, furniture and jewellery, have a Māori conceptual meaning alongside their functional purpose. David deals with messages of place and tribal history.

David Hakaraia is on a path to becoming a force in contemporary New Zealand design and art. Keep an eye out for him in the upcoming Māori Art Market, or on the rugby field, as he recently made the match winner player’s trophies for the Rugby World Cup 2011.

The exhibition Te Toi Ora: The Art of Living runs from 30 September until 22 October at Toi Pōneke Gallery, 61 Abel Smith Street.