Hana Rakena
Ko Te Poho o Tamatea te maunga,
Ko Whangaraupo te moana,
Ko Te Rapaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa te marae
Ko Ngāti Wheke te hapū
Ko Ngāi Tahu me Ngā Puhi ngā iwi
Ko Otene rāua ko Yvonne ōku mātua
Ko Hana Rakena ahau.
Artist Statement
“I draw my inspiration from Māori weaving and carving (particularly my father Otene's pounamu carving) shells, plants, rock and land formations and the human body.
My work is a kind of call and response with the clay, a collaboration. A highlight of my training was working alongside Chris Weaver in his Kaniere studio for 6 months. During this time I attended a workshop with Rick Rudd. I had long admired Rick's ceramics, but everything clicked into place for me and my practice when I saw Rick work. I realised the creative potential of hand building, I appreciated the slow and meditative process, and Rick generously shared his coiling and scraping technique which I still use today.
The last few years I've been collaborating with my sister Rachael Rakena, a digital intermedia artist. We're interested in our shared experience of having young children while geographically separated from each other, and the ways we communicate these very similar experiences with each other, often via social media. Considering the pacific concept of Va, or space between. "Vä is the space between, the between-ness, not empty space, not space that separates but space that relates, that holds separate entities and things together in the unity-in-all, the space that is context, giving meaning to things. A well known Samoan expression is ‘la teu le vä’, cherish/nurse/care for the vä, the relationships" Karlo Mila-Schaaf. The concept of Va makes us think of social media, being an in between space that holds stories and memories. Our show "Everything Between You and Me", has travelled from Pataka Art Museum, Porirua to Winnipeg and Toronto, Canada.
Our three collaborative Waiata pieces take their inspiration from cosmogenealogical narratives, and particularly the first line of a manuscript written in 1849 by Ngāi Tahu tohunga, Matiaha Tiramorehu. "Kei a Te Pō te timataka mai o te waiatataka mai o te atua" The beginning of the singing of the atua is with Te Pō (The Night). And so everything is sung forth; the realms of Te Pō, of Te Ao, of Te Kore... The ceramic words create the only stillness on the light reflective black watery surfaces. Each word describes a traditional chant or song form, suggesting rhythms, patterns and waves of sound that stretch back to creation, sung forth to us.
I'm in a busy phase of life, homeschooling my 6 and 8 year old boys and continuing my creative practice. I look forward to more collaborations with my sister Rachael, and sharing more of my practice with young artists, hoping to pass on some of the generosity, encouragement and kindness that I've received from so many potters all across the country.
