Nigel Borell at The Kete Aronui Experience

Within the Maori worldview two things are essential: whakapapa (genealogy) and whenua (land). For Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Ranginui artist Nigel Borell, these elements became very clear whilst on an artist’s retreat in Northland. The result was the exhibition Pirirakau (Bush Beautiful) at the Lane Gallery over September to October 2006.

Borell was initially trained at Robert Jahnke’s Massey Campus where he achieved a Bachelor of Maori Visual Art, followed by a Master of Arts with Honours from the University of Auckland. He has curated several exhibitions as well as written critical reviews and essays, such as those for Tu Mai. He has been one of the Field Directors for the popular Maori arts series Kete Aronui which profiled a range of Maori artists for Maori Television. This year he has returned home to Tauranga, where he has taken on the role of Co-ordinator of Aka Rakai Toi at the Bay of Plenty Polytech, a Diploma of Art programme. His artist profile is also on the rise—April 2007 sees the release of Taiawhio II by Te Papa Press, a sequel to the popular Taiawhio, both of which highlight Maori artists of all generations.