Artists & Craftspeople

Simon is of Ngai Tahu, Chinese and European descent, and though the waka form is distinctly Maori he says that it's use as a vessel for the living and the dead is pretty much a universal symbol. It is also a way for him to locate himself in the work. The waka forms are myself and also people around me - people who have passed away as well as those who are present. Simon works from his studio in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, as well as from his studio in Chengdu in the Sichuan province of southwest China.