Local artist Simon Te Wheoro recently completed his second international sculpture symposium, this time in Switzerland.
The annual Bildhauer International Sculpture Symposium is based in Sent, near the borders of Italy and Austria.
The 18 sculptors were given the theme ‘Funtana/Source’ and Simon’s piece paid homage to renowned sculptor, carver, and artist Fred Graham who passed away in May.
“I wasn’t able to attend Fred’s tangihanga, and I felt guilty about that so I wanted to send him off with an acknowledgement, and way of remembering him and his legacy,” Simon says.
Simon used abstracted customary forms as the basis for his work, such as takarangi and manaia (a mythological creature often depicting the head of a bird, the tail of a fish, and the body of a man).
“When I saw the theme, I thought straight away about takarangi. Fred would use a lot of takarangi, which is a double spiral design that emphasises the source of life.”
One of the symposium highlights for Simon was being able to sculpt Italian marble, something he has wanted to do for a long time.
During his time in Switzerland, he faced a few challenges, including the different languages, changing seasons, the long days, and the fact that the symposium was only for one week.
“I found the Swiss to be incredibly polite and they always greet you in one of the four languages; Swiss-German, Romansh, French and Italian, but English isn’t one of them,” he says.
Despite the challenges, Simon says he was made to feel incredibly welcome. “They would often ask, ‘You are from New Zealand? Māori? Wow, it’s amazing you travel so far’.”
He also caught up with a Swiss local who had visited Whāingaroa and had received a tā moko from Simon. “Tom greeted me at the airport wearing his Whāingaroa t-shirt, with his child Keanu and his lovely lady Alina. They also visited me at the symposium. I’m so grateful for the manaakitanga (hospitality) his family has shown me during my time here in Switzerland.”
Learning his lesson at his last symposium, Simon was weighted down with his tools for this trip.
“I exceeded my 42 kgs just in tools. You may have had tools promised to you, but you get there and you find it’s blunt or broken or someone else is using it and we’re all fighting over this one tool,” he says
Having attended the Austronesian people’s skills exchange workshop in Guam and a stone sculpting symposium in Norway last year, Simon feels privileged to work alongside sculptors from around the world and to represent toi Māori on the world stage.
“In doing this mahi, I can acknowledge te Ao Māori, especially with what’s going on at the moment. It just pushes me more and inspires me more to make a noise about being from Aotearoa, being Māori and being proud.”
Simon will continue to apply for future symposiums around the world and currently has his sights set on events in Belgium and Argentina.
“One of my goals is to be accepted into the symposiums in the Middle East, like Oman and Saudi Arabia. They’re incredible. All the pieces are pre-purchased and all expenses are covered. I’d love to open that door and just acknowledge this beautiful art form. I often think that I’m just a portal to express and acknowledge our tupuna (ancestors).”
When he’s not sculpting at symposiums, Simon is based at Toi Hauāuru Studio on the Main Rd between Lorenzen Bay and Greenslade Roads, where he is kept busy with commission work and tā moko.
Simon whakapapas to Ngāti Māhanga (whose ancestral lands extended from Raglan Harbour to the west bank of the Waikato River), Ngāti Te Weehi (principal iwi of the Aotea Harbour) and Ngāti Tamainupō (from Waingaro) on his father’s side and Te Aupouri on his mother’s side.
Simon acknowledges that his journey as an artist wouldn’t have happened without the support of his whānau, iwi, hapū and community, and in particular his partner Jamie Haenga, an artist herself; she’s the silent driving force behind him, manages their business and keeps the home fires burning while Simon is away busy with mahi.
To find out more about Simon’s work visit simontewheoro.com.
by Janine Jackson
