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Of Ngati Kahungunu, Celtic and German descent. Maiia is one of 7 children, and 2 adopted into European families raised under a 1960s assimilation regime.
Maiia- visionary artist; painter, photographer, writer, etc
Born- Gisborne, Aotearoa.
Maiia: "I grew up in a farming community,quite middle-class, books and art were important as healthy source of brain-food and pasttime. A welcome respite from physical labour too."
The New Net Goes Fishing 1977, by local author Witi Ihimaera's had a big impact on the fledgling writer and artist " ... it was like a window opening onto reality. Like a
For example during the 1969 'royal visit' for the 200th celebration of colonisation I was expecting a representative from the Maori Women's Welfare league. Not some strange English person. "Every community, culture, society has it's intellectual, spiritual and philosophical wealth within. And through intergenerational transferrance. Writers, (or speakers in oratical traditions) painters, thinkersdreamers. Local Maori writing was a revelation. European tales were too far away in place and time to be real and internalisable."
The first contemporary Maori artist I saw did fine pen and ink drawing. Like illuminated manuscript, like old childrens story books. I was enthralled." (Above, Smiling Madonna 1990s) THE ACORN TREE
Warrior Spirit A commitment to colour and paint came along in the form of expressionist and installation artist Norma McCarthy of Mossman in far north Queensland. |
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words...
big breath of fresh Aotearoa air. We were in the stories. And the town clock in a story makes much more sense than a clock in London and the tangental angles dictated by the northern hemispherical environment and government.
