TRACEY TAWHIAO

“Art has always meant liberation to me, because it’s the one place where you’re the boss. You decide what comes out of you and all the decisions are made consciously and subconsciously,” says Tracey Tawhiao.

Often found at her kitchen table surrounded by her pottery containers (with no labels, so she has to look in each one to find what she wants) Tawhiao has no frills attached to her kitchen-turned-studio, and it is here that she is found working with newspapers to create her contemporary works of art.

“I find it [newspapers] so available and accessible; and they come into our life every day. They are so much more interesting than a blank canvas.”

Tawhiao prefers using the New York Times and the

LA Times because of their square shape and the superior paper quality. She says she is fortunate to have access to them through friends. Her method is also highly intuitive and, in many ways, she allows the newspaper to choose her.

“I don’t chase newspapers and if a newspaper is in my house I don’t judge it. Whatever turns up is exactly the thing that I need — it’s a very ‘mother’ way and it’s also a very way kitchen way of doing things.”

It’s also what has inspired Tawhiao’s artwork, which centres on the kitchen.

“My favourite way of cooking is when you don’t have a clue as to what you’ve got but seven people are waiting for you to feed them! You might find some carrots, one onion, maybe some jam and you have to turn it into something.

“That’s how I approach most things and art is no different. You don’t have much to begin with and yet you end up creating a banquet. It’s the most fulfilling way to cook and to create.”

Tracey Tawhiao’s upcoming exhibition, Te Oranga (The Vitals), at Northart Gallery in Northcote, opens on November 8.