Kereama Taepa, rerekē

Jhana Millers is pleased to present rerekē, their first solo exhibition in the main gallery with Kereama Taepa. In this exhibition, Kereama extends his exploration of te Ao Matihiko (the digital world) and its impact on Māori culture. 

Informed by customary Māori visual language and conventions, Kereama creates works using 3D modeling, 3D printing, and virtual and augmented reality software. Whakairo, kōwhaiwhai, and tūrapa (tukutuku) are combined with pop iconography from the 80s and 90s, such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders — referencing his upbringing within the urban environment.

His practice is founded on the idea that Māori are innovators and therefore innovation is tradition.  Kereama's exploration into materials and processes has provided him with a vast array of creation methods — of which he delves in and out of frequently.

Kereama Taepa has a Masters degree in Māori Visual Arts from Massey University, Palmerston North, and is a lecturer in the Bachelor of Creative Industries at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Rotorua. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and has works in collections across Aotearoa. He has been commissioned for several major public artworks, including Tohorā at Maclean Park, Paraparaumu, 2020; a (very) brief history of Aotearoa, the Four Plinths Sculpture Project outside Te Papa, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, 2016; and Tichi in Ngāmotu, New Plymouth in 2015.