Ashleigh Taupaki

Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Kahungunu

Lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau

Ashleigh Taupaki explores Māori connections to place through concepts of indigenous narrative and non-human agency. Working with hard materials, she creates sculptures that manifest ideas of kaitiakitanga (stewardship) and collaboration with natural resources. She depicts places that are significant to her own ancestral origins in Hauraki, and strives to revitalise the stories and knowledge of her people and lands.

Taupaki is currently studying towards a Doctor of Philosophy, specialising in Fine Arts. Her doctoral research looks into Ngāti Hako connections to wetlands, which also critiques colonial histories and occupations, while uplifting their mana as repositories of cultural knowledge and taonga species.

Thank you to the artist for the use of her images, you can see more of Ashleigh’s mahi here