Rhonda Halliday
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka,
Ko Te Ahuahu te maunga,
Ko Parawhenua te marae o Taiamai,
Ko Te Uri Taniwha me Ngāti Hineira ngā hapū,
Ko Ōmāpere te roto,
Ko Waitangi te awa,
Ko Hauparua te moana,
Nō Kerikeri ahau,
Ko Rhonda tāku ingoa
Artist Statement
“Ehara tāku toa I te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini”. I acknowledge those that have helped shaped me and my art.
Rhonda was born 1970 and resides in Waipapa just north of Kerikeri. She gained her Bachelor of Applied Arts Visual Arts from Northtec Whangarei in 2000 and has enjoyed the mentorship of Colleen Waata Urlich and Manos Nathan, founding members of Ngā Kaihanga Uku Māori Clay Artists’ Collective, before their passing in September 2015.
A member of Ngā Kaihanga Uku and Te Taitokerau Māori Artists Collective (TTMAC), she is also owner/operator of Uku Toi Gallery at her home in Waipapa, Northland. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and has also been actively involved in producing several Toi Ngāpuhi exhibitions and attended several indigenous art cultural exchanges and events.
Halliday’s art style is mostly recognised for her highly burnished smoke fired patina pieces representing rebirth and emergence, however more recently her work has begun to shift and move into new forms and techniques. One area of exploration is combining clay with mixed media to enhance her stories and personal views on various topics hoping to encourage conversation and awareness. Most recently Halliday has produced work sharing her concerns about quality and access to fresh water as well as the effects of global warming in the Pacific. Taiao ora, mauri ora, tātou ora!
