Event Details
Hear from exhibiting artists Raewyn Tauira Paterson (Ngāi Tūhoe) and Asaki Kajima for a floor talk exploring their newly commissioned works presented in Gwen Malden Te Matau-a-Māui Art Commissions.
Raewyn Tauira Paterson (Ngāi Tūhoe) is a mixed-media artist, fascinated with contemporary forms of pattern rooted in mātauranga Māori. She graduated from the Eastern Institute of Technology in 2010 as the top overall Visual Arts and Design student. Since then, she has worked at EIT as a lecturer and educator at its IDEAschool, coordinating the Bachelor of Creative Practice degree. She is particularly proud of the community project she led to design and install tukutuku panels at EIT’s marae Te Ara O Tāwhaki. She has curated and exhibited in numerous exhibitions across Te Matau-a- Māui.
Asaki Kajima was born and raised in Japan. She grew up in a family with a florist business established almost a century ago. Her ethereal sculptures, made using materials found in Aotearoa, are inspired by the traditional Japanese artistic floral practice of Ikebana. Grounded by her graphic design and visual art study in Tokyo and an expanding record of exhibitions across Aotearoa, Kajima has begun to build a national profile. For instance, she received the Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award in 2020 and was a finalist for the RT Nelson Sculpture Award in 2025.