Kura Te Waru Rewiri

Name
Kura Te Waru Rewiri
Iwi/Ethnicity
Ngāpuhi/Māori
Ngāti Kahu/Māori
Ngāti Rangi/Māori
Ngāti Kauwhata/Māori
Date of birth
1950
Place of birth
Kaeo/Whangaroa Harbour/Northland (region)/New Zealand
Gender
Female
Biography
Kura Te Waru Rewiri was born in Kaeo, Whangaroa, and encouraged to study art by teacher and early mentor Buck Nin.

She left the Far North and attended Ilam School of Fine Arts in Ōtautahi/Christchurch during 1971–72, with Bill Sutton and Don Peebles instructing her in design, drawing and sculpture. In her final year, Te Waru Rewiri studied painting under Rudi Gopas and graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts in 1973.

It was 12 years before her first solo exhibition, *Ahau-Me*. The exhibition saw her challenge some of the customary ideas present in Māori culture, with specific reference to the practice of whakairo (woodcarving) and the gender roles within it.

Her paintings are characterised by strong geometric structures and an intuitive use of colour and pattern that reference traditional Māori art forms and knowledge. Subjects central in her work include Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi), te Hāhi Rātana (the Rātana Church), and the language of kōwhaiwhai (painted rafters).