Engaging with Maori art and identity : a conversation with Maori artists in Otepoti

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Literature that addresses Mâori artists has predominantly been situated within a Western framework that has marginalised Mâori epistemology and artistic integrity. Cultural subjugation sought to eliminate the culture and initiated this through a comparative discourse to Classical European art forms and through classification as a primitive and immature categorisation. This research explores the experiences of Mâori artists residing in Otepoti and identifies a contrast between the literature and what the artists are saying. Competing discourses is a constant theme throughout this research, however, what emerges is an assertion by the artists of their worldview evolving from a strong cultural history and tradition and developing into a contemporary assertion of Iwi identity.