"My practice as a Maori artist is a reflection of my cultural beliefs. My artwork becomes a conduit between Te Ao Marama, our present reality and the spiritual realm of the atua. I purposefully re-present everyday objects as artworks to convey culturally specific narratives. The intention of my practice is for Māori to maintain a relationship to the past while also planning for the future."
HEMI MACGREGOR
Hemi Macgregor is a highly respected artist and teacher, who graduated from the Maori Visual Arts programme at Te Putahi-a-Toi, Massey University in Palmerston North, and is currently a lecturer at the College of Creative Arts at Massey's Wellington campus.
Hemi McGregor, Saffronn Te Ratana and Ngataiharuru Taepa discuss their installation Ka Kata Te Po at the Auckland Art Gallery and part of the 5th Auckland Triennial, 2011.
Hemi's strengths lie in painting and installation-based practice and he has exhibited widely featuring work from both disciplines. Examples of the latter feature in the acclaimed exhibition, Pasifika Styles, University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in England, 2008. Hemi has established a fine reputation for the quality of his work and its grounding in a sound conceptual framework.
Hemi's story and examples of his practice formed part of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa exhibition, Taiawhio - Conversations with Contemporary Maori Artists (2002) and its accompanying publication.Hemi was the recipient of a Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi scholarship in 2003. He represented New Zealand at the Fourth Biennale de Noumea in 2000.
Originally from Levin, Hemi’s whakapapa extends from Ngati Rakaipaaka, Ngati Kahungunu and Ngai Tuhoe.
"The Maori Visual Arts programme at Te Putahi-a-Toi, School of Maori Studies, Massey University Palmerston North, is one of the best in the country. My time spent studying for a Masters in Maori Visual Arts (MMVA) has unquestionably advanced my abilities as an artist. Through this program I forged lifelong associations which have flourished through our continued involvement in rangatahi wananga (indigenous youth arts gatherings) and collaborative art installation projects."
