Robyn Kahukiwa (born 1938) is an Australian-born New Zealand artist, award-winning children's book author, and illustrator. Kahukiwa has created a significant collection of paintings, books, prints, drawings, and sculptures.

Life

Kahukiwa was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales, Australia, in 1938. She trained as a commercial artist and later moved to New Zealand at the age of nineteen.Kirker, Anne. ''New Zealand Women Artists'' Reed Methuen, 1986 Kahukiwa's early artworks were inspired by discovering her Māori heritage. Māori on her mother's side, Kahukiwa is of Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Hau,

Ngāti Konohi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

and Whanau-a-Ruataupare descent.

Career

From 1972 to 1980, Kahukiwa was a regular exhibitor at the Academy in Wellington. In the 1980s, Kahukiwa gained prominence in New Zealand after her exhibition ''Wāhine Toa'' (strong women), which toured the country.Dunn, Michael. ''New Zealand Painting: A Concise History'' Auckland University Press, 2004 This exhibition drew on Māori myth and symbolism. One of the pieces, '' Hinetītama'', is in the permanent collection at Te Manawa. Kahukiwa's work often deals with themes of colonialism and the dispossession of indigenous people, motherhood and blood-ties, social custom and mythology. In a 2004 article, Kahukiwa implements "political activism in subject matter and method into powerful images that assert Māori identity and tradition." She is a "staunch supporter of Māori rights and the power and prestige of Māori women." Kahukiwa's works are influenced by Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere and

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

. In 2011, Kahukiwa was awarded with the Te Tohu Toi Kē Award from Te Waka Toi, the Māori arm of Creative New Zealand.

Publications

* Taniwha (1986) * Paikea (1993) * The Koroua and the Mauri Stone (1994) * Kēhua (1996) * Supa Heroes: Te Wero (2000) * Koha (2003) * Matatuhi (2007) * The forgotten Taniwha (2009) * Tutu Taniwha (2010) * Te Marama (2011) * The Boy and the Dolphin (2016) * Ngā Atua: Māori Gods (2016) With writer Patricia Grace: * The Kuia and the Spider (1981) * Watercress Tuna and the Children of Champion Street (1984) * Wāhine Toa: Women of Māori Myth (1984) With Joy Cowley: * Grandma’s stick (1982) * Hatupatu and the birdwoman (1982) With Rangimarie Sophie Jolley: * The Blue Book (2014)

Awards

*1994

LIANZA Young People's Non-Fiction Award The LIANZA Young People's Non-Fiction Award was established in 1986 by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA). It aimed to encourage the production of the best non-fiction writing for young New Zealanders. The aw ...

(now known as Elsie Locke Award) for ''Paikea'' *201
Te Tohu Toi Kē
, Making a Difference Award

References

External links

Works by Robyn Kahukiwa
in the collection of the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...