Neke Moa

About the Works

He aha te wā? What’s the time? 2023
flax/muka, driftwood, pearl shell, ring shell, Paua shell, clock mechanism

Papaīra, 2023
driftwood, dyed flax, ring shell, Pounamu, paint, bone, shell, pencil

Imbued with cultural significance, Neke Moa tells stories of the seasons and time.

Papaīra: As the universe expanded and the creator sisters made defined spaces, Papaīra wanted to slow the spread. In this work Neke expresses how she placed particles above and below the known space, creating parallel dimensions and galaxies, and therefore new timelines and defined measurement.

He aha te wā?: Time and its markers are a result of Atua collaboration. Often, we hear it said that summer was late this year. Why? Because we have put a date on the arrival of summer, it’s in our calendars and we expect it to fall into our plans. We believe our personal planners have power over nature, other people, plants and animals and imagine that Atua is bound to our biological clocks.

Summer and all seasons arrive when Raumati (summer), Takurua and Hōtoke (winter) decide it will. The longest part of the year is spent in the space between seasons. In this work, Neke presents a clock to track individual concepts of time.

About Neke Moa

Neke Moa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Kai Tahu, Tūwharetoa, Te Whare ō Papaīra) is an Ōtaki-based contemporary adornment and object artist who works with pounamu (New Zealand jade) and collected materials. Her work explores our connections within the spaces of the seen and unseen, the place where wairua (a living soul) resides and creativity is sourced. She collaborates with tohunga (chosen experts), Atua (ancestors) and tāngata (people) presenting visual stories that navigate Aotearoa’s cultural, social, and political landscape.

In 2000, Neke completed a Diploma of Design and Art at Te Wānanga o Raukawa and a Bachelor of Applied Arts, at Whitireia in 2007. She has exhibited widely throughout Aotearoa and internationally and taught shell craft in Fiji and Tonga, developing relationships, cultural connections and immersing in Moana culture. Neke is the recipient of one of the prestigious Herbert Hoffman Awards 2023 presented at the annual Schmuck exhibition in Munich.

https://www.masterworksgallery.co.nz/collections/neke-moa

Image top: Neke Moa, He aha te wā? What’s the time?, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of the Artist