Maia Kreisler
Maia Kreisler — 'Hei Tiki, Uru Rangi' (Hei Tiki Silver Rain), 2025
This work forms part of a major body of sculptural ceramics developed over two years by Māori artist Maia Kreisler.
This work stands at the centre of the exhibition’s exploration of birth, embodiment, and ancestral presence. A sculpted hei tiki emerges from the vessel’s form—its placement deliberate, speaking to the sacred site of creation, the womb, and the generative power of whakapapa.
The background is painted with vertical marks, in silver—rain falling from the heavens. This uru rangi (silver rain) evokes both cleansing and cosmological descent, linking atua and earth, sky and form. The pattern is rhythmic, like breath or heartbeat, suggesting the ongoing pulse of inherited life.
Hei Tiki, Uru Rangi offers a powerful invocation of beginnings. The vessel becomes both container and body—holding space for the spirit of new life and the memory of all who came before.
—
Maia Kreisler is a cross-disciplinary Māori artist whose practice explores the human condition and our complex relationship with the environment, with a primary focus on value creation through art. Working predominantly with uku (clay), Maia has exhibited both nationally and internationally for over twenty years.
Maia holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from Massey University, Wellington, and a Diploma in Māori Art and Design, awarded in 2017 after studying under renowned Māori uku master, Wi Taepa. Her artworks are held in esteemed public and private collections, including Peter McLeavey Gallery, the Wallace Arts Trust, Wellington Museum, Puke Ariki Museum, the Wellington City Art Collection, and The Dowse Art Museum. In addition to her artistic practice, Maia has held roles within government and local councils, representing her hapū and iwi.
—
Ka Mua, Ka Muri - Walking Backwards into the Future
June 19 – July 26
Ka Mua, Ka Muri — Walking Backwards into the Future — is a powerful Māori concept that acknowledges the past as a guiding force. We move forward with our backs to the future, eyes fixed on what has come before. The works reflect this ideology, drawing strength and insight from memory, tradition, and ancestral wisdom. Black silhouettes evoke timeless human forms, while intricate kowhaiwhai patterns flow across them, symbolising genealogy, continuity, and the ever-present influence of whakapapa.
Read more about the exhibition here:
Material: Handbuilt ceramic, black iron oxide, silver-painted surface
Dimensions: 33 x 20cm
Please note when purchasing, exhibition works are to be collected when exhibition closes.
Shipping costs may be estimates. Please feel free to contact shop@craft.org.au who will be available to provide an Art Courier quote or shipping costs for larger items.