Robyn Kahukiwa, artist and illustrator died late last week. It's hard to overstate what an icon of New Zealand art she was, and of illustration. Innumerable Kiwi kids learned traditional stories of Māori atua through the picture books she illustrated.
Her work was distinctively hers. You know when you're looking at a Van Gogh, or a Picasso, and Kahukiwa's style was just as easy to spot - atua wāhine staring fiercely at the viewer, or in profile like a pou; colours that pop; unapologetically Māori imagery; not a trace of apology.
She came back again and again to Māori women, the blurb for Korowai, the 2020 picture book written by her daughter Reina which she illustrated capturing the "vibe" of much of her work:
"Māori women are influential. Māori women are powerful. We wāhine Māori, are in possession of a formidable resilience inherent in our whakapapa Māori. We are wrapped in the korowai of whakapapa, mana, aroha, bravery, wisdom, courage and strength"
Born in Australia, Kahukiwa came to New Zealand at the age of 19 and re-discovered her Māori heritage, a journey that influenced her throughout her career and like many Māori women before her, and after, she was staunchly political. She turned down state and crown honours due to her political beliefs.
"She worked tirelessly to uplift Māori people, values, and rights. Her art traverses a wide range of media and styles, exploring questions of heritage, identity, and sovereignty central to the Māori experience and relevant to Indigenous people from around the world." Gallerist, Francis McWhannell
My own personal favourite of her books is The Kuia and the Spider. Written by Patricia Grace (what a dream team!) it tells the story of a kuia and the spider who lives in her kitchen and the somewhat grouchy relationship between them, as they compete with each other in weaving prowess, and in whose grandchildren are better (and they argued, and they argued, and they argued...)
The simple and lived in quality of the kuia's house, her wry smile, and the way all her grandchildren look different from each other but still belong, the way the weaving of the spider and the kuia both are rendered in loving detail - just a few of the reasons Kahukiwa's illustrations shine through.
But honestly, there are so many iconic images in her body of work whether illustrations or artworks. As her daughter, Reina, remarked in a statement last week,
"Mum and Nanny, you leave a huge hole in our lives. We love and will miss you so very much. You leave your great legacy of Māori art, and the taonga of your stories and illustrations for us your whānau, your mokopuna, and future generations."
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