Ehetere Rua

Ehetere Rua is a neurodivergent multi-disciplinary artist based on the outskirts of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, of Māori (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui) and European (Cornwall, Normandy) descent. Her colourful surrealist portraiture and mixed media compositions have been exhibited in spaces across Aotearoa. Using rescued Kete from Hokohoko shops as canvases, Her work navigates the complexities of identity - using creative expression as a method to excavate, release, remember and activate.

"A significant season in my life was when I lived in a ‘rent-a-cabin’ on my great-great-great grandmother’s whenua. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, making art in my 3x2 box and getting to know my Māori heritage. During that time it felt like my cultural identity ‘revealed’ itself - hiding under a colonial perception of disregard."