Dorothy Waetford
Ngātiwai, Ngātihine, Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu
Artist Statement
To create three-dimensional forms is to work with scale, space, shadow and light. I draw from a rich cultural heritage, tribal narratives, genealogy, land and natural resources to inform my work.
Dorothy lives in Matapouri, a small coastal community in Northland and began exhibiting with Ngā Kaihanga Uku as a student in the late nineties. Teacher training and Māori Visual Arts were a turning point from performing with Te Kanikani O Te Rangatahi and Taiao Māori Dance Theatre in the eighties. She now works on commission and produces ceramic work primarily for group shows with Ngā Kaihanga Uku (collective of Māori clayworkers), Te Atinga (Contemporary Māori Visual Arts network) Taitokerau Māori Arts Collective and in support of iwi arts initiatives such as the biennial Toi Ngāpuhi Art Exhibition and the annual Ahuareka Ngātihine Festival.
