Monica Brewster Evening May: Neke Moa

Tue 13 May | 6.00 - 7.30pm

Neke Moa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu/Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) works primarily with pounamu, shell and other locally sourced materials. Moa’s practice as a jeweller and carver explores the whakapapa of materials, making and the role of body adornment in creating a sense of belonging to people and place. Moa employs traditional techniques, such as hōanga (hand-held grinding stones), as well as uses electric machinery and diamond tools, and conceives of her practice as a spiritual continuation of a whakapapa that extends back to Te Ao Kōhatu (The Age of Stone). Moa lives at Otaki Beach, Aotearoa, where she has a studio/home and a rich resource of materials, people and inspiration. Being tangata whenua (indigenous) informs and leads her art practice, and she mainly exhibits and makes commission works, teaches and currently works part-time at Toi Matarau gallery at Maoriland Hub in Otaki.

Neke will also present a jewellery-making workshop on Sunday 11 May. Reserve your place and get more information here. 

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Monica Brewster Evenings are monthly discussions featuring invited
speakers from across the creative sector. Introduced at the Gallery in 1999, the series has presented an array of leading creative thinkers, opinion leaders, artists, and practitioners to Taranaki audiences.

For 2025 Monica Brewster Evenings will explore cultural practices through the themes of
RESILIENCE (Season One) and RESISTANCE (Season Two). Our speakers
will examine how creative thinking and action can endure adversity while
challenging and transforming inequitable conditions.