Alexis Neal

Alexis Neal’s work explores the way taoka can act as a self-portrait, drawing connections between person, place and material culture. This pair of prints shows highly detailed carved surfaces, the luminous green of pounamu, the softness of a feather and the worn surface of whale bone. They remind us of the ways her tūpuna Māori worked skilfully with resources from the natural world, and the potential of taoka ~ to protect, adorn, identify and connect past with present.

taoka ~ treasures, things of cultural value pounamu ~ greenstone tūpuna ~ ancestors

(He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil, 2025)