Coromind - Issue 34 - October25 - Coromandel's Collaborative Magazine - Flipbook - Page 20
Fiona G
Whakapap
Te Whenua, Te W
Meet Fiona Gates.
Ko Rākautapu tōku maunga
Ko Tapawae tōku awa.
Ko Hokianga tōku moana
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua tōku waka
Ko Rahiri tōku tupuna
Ko Te Rarawa tōku iwi
Ko Ngāi Tūpoto tōku hapū
E noho ana ahau ki Coroglen
Ko Fiona Gates tōku ingoa.
Kia ora koutou katoa.
Fiona Gates describes her journey to clay as both a
homecoming and a rediscovery. Growing up in Tāmaki
Makaurau before settling in Coroglen, she found in the
Coromandel not just the beauty of beach and bush, but a
stable foundation for her whānau and creative life.
A self-taught ringa uku (clay artist), Fiona shares pūrākau
(stories) through her work with uku. "I describe my mahi
toi as cathartic, visceral and metaphoric," she says. "People
are often drawn into a relationship with my work." This
connection to clay runs deep – "The origins of life came from
micaceous clay and that might be why so many connect to
clay work. It's the whakapapa of everything. Ko au te whenua,
ko te whenua ko au – I am the land and the land is me."
Though her 昀椀rst creative passion was mahi raranga (weaving
harakeke/昀氀ax), Fiona found her true medium in clay about
four years ago. "The 昀椀rst bowl I made was at a Richard Naylor
workshop and I was pretty chu昀昀ed with the outcome," she
recalls. While she initially tried wheel throwing at Driving
Creek Pottery, she found herself returning to handbuilding.
For Fiona, being Māori fundamentally shapes her artistic
practice. "My work is often deeply personal and therapeutic,"
she explains. As a Māori adoptee during the era of closed
interracial adoptions, her relationship with identity has been
both a birthright and a hard-won reclamation. "I always
knew in my bones that I whakapapa Māori, but I was in
my forties when it became 'o昀케cial'", she shares. This lived
experience fuels her passion for activism. Her art became
another pathway to reconnect with her whakapapa. "Closed
interracial adoption was intentional assimilation," she notes.
"This is partly why I am so passionate about social and
environmental justice, especially indigenous rights."
Her creative process draws on this journey of reconnection.
"I draw on my struggle to 昀椀nd ways to reconnect with Te Ao
Māori, the disorientation of disconnection, and processing
trauma while living with PTSD." Her creative process
draws on pūrākau (stories) and Atua (gods), particularly
Atua wāhine (goddesses), 昀椀nding parallels between these
narratives and her own life. Texture, sometimes imprinted
with handmade stamps, plays a vital role in her work. "I use
Raranga whakairo patterns and kōwhaiwhai. I'm excited to
deepen my understanding of our traditional pattern making
in the future."
Fiona's approach to working with clay is intuitive and sensory.
"Because uku is so hands on, I work intuitively. Yes, there are
skills and techniques but I tend to just start with an idea and
I'm guided by my senses rather than a step-by-step plan." She
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