Gabrielle Belz:
NgaPuhi, Te Atiawa
‘The print process with its layering of textures and images has become a favoured tool to communicate thoughts about the past and future of our world and how we exist in it. It is a symbol to me of the many layers of connectedness we have to each other and to the world around us’
A printmaker who has worked in other formats, Belz’s design work for public spaces expresses a commitment to community. Her designs have included parks furniture, inlays for paving, murals, and applications on glass walls and entrance ways. Her inspiration is people, identity, and our connection to land. She joined Nga Puna Waihanga (A national, artist driven collective of Maori creatives) in the 1980’s, was a member of the women’s artist collective, Kauwae, established in 1995 following the first Te Atinga Indigenous artist hui held at Apumoana. Until 2022 she was a committee member and a former chair.of Te Atinga, (the visual arts committee of Toi Maori Aotearoa) Founding member of Toi Whakaata – the Maori Print-makers collective. Founding member of Toi o Taranaki ki te Tonga with Bonita Bigham. Gabrielle relocated to Taranaki and with a local artist set up Gallery Patea in 2016. She has had a long career in the visual arts exhibiting and working as an arts educator during the 80’s and 90’s, and by the 90’s beginning to co-ordinate and curate group exhibitions, taking part in international print exchanges, and exhibiting in NZ and overseas. She has been part of cultural exchanges in the US, Samoa, Australia, Hawai’i and Canada. Her work is represented in the NZ Justice Department, The Sarjeant Gallery Whanganui, Pataka Gallery, Porirua Wellington, the Auckland City Council Collection, the Benneton Monde Project Collection, and in private collections in NZ and offshore. In 2022 she was awarded the Te Waka Toi Nga Tohu Haututanga Auaha Toi for her contribution to Maori art. In 2024 awarded first equal for works on paper at the National Taranaki Arts Awards.
James Ormsby:
Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Te Arawa and Katimana
James Ormsby has exhibited his drawings and paintings for many years, both nationally and internationally, represented by the dealer galleries – Whitespace and Paul Nache. Born in 1957, James affiliates with the tribes – Ngaati Maniapoto and Waikato of Tainui, Ngaati Pikiao of Te Arawa, South Asian Indian, and the Scottish clans of Ferguson and Menzies. He graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 1990 (University of Melbourne), and a Master of Fine Art in 2001 (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). Upon returning to New Zealand, he was commissioned to paint AUT’s whare (meeting house) and the ceiling design and artwork for the RNZ Navy whare. Drawing is a passion for James Ormsby, he describes it as his first language and his skill is evident as is his emotional response to the images, motifs and marks in his work. As a contemporary artist he questions what his ancestors, both Tangata Whenua and Scottish, would have used to make their marks and what was the significance of the visual symbols they chose to depict. Research is an integral component in Ormsby’s practice, he spends many hours studying and interpreting ancient sketches and documents. His works refer to history and religion. In an era when artists are increasingly experimenting with new technology, Ormsby prefers to work with the organic. Again, he goes back to research and sources traditional or natural materials that his ancestors would recognise and associate with, such as natural ochres and pigments. Curator/Art historian Ngahiraka Mason writes: “James’ visual language shows his personal evolution as an artist prepared to seek out his full potential. His restrained yet voluble pencil and brush marks are complex studies. He has a capacity to make his art reappear as if it struts and strides into traditional and mathematical systems that interconnect with culture. He has a joyous approach to colour and uses natural pigments and oils, graphite and ink materials.” James’ has been a finalist in both the Art Waikato National and Wallace Art Awards as well as the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards. His 3-metre-tall graphite work on paper, Whenua is part of Te Papa Tongarewa’s permanent collection. James’ work is held in many of the major New Zealand and Australian collections, including the Waikato Museum of Art and History, and the University of Melbourne. He lives in the Bay of Islands and works from his studio at Opua.
