Waiata Uku - Clay Songs Matariki Exhibition

Each piece in the exhibition is treated as a unique waiata—a clay song—shaped by the hands of its maker and infused with personal, ancestral, and cultural memory. From taonga pūoro that whisper breath into form and send that breath out as music, to the guardianship of manaia figures, and vessels that speak of whenua, atua, and whānau, every work holds its own distinct vibration, its own story to sing.

The collective spans three generations of clay artists: from Baye Riddell, a founding figure of contemporary Māori clay art, to emerging and new rangatahi artists. Together, they form a chorus of makers whose works echo across time, connecting old knowledge with new hands. Presented during Matariki—a time of reflection, remembrance, and renewal—Waiata Uku is a gathering of clay voices. It is both grounding and uplifting, rooted in whenua and lifted by the stars.

Te Kāhui Waiata Uku Te Kāhui Waiata Uku…