Kia ora, welcome to episode 36 of The Good Oil, conversations with Aotearoa painters.

In this episode, I visit Raukura Turei at her studio in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Raukura is Ngā Ra-u-ru Kītahi Taranaki, Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.

Her work has been the subject of several solo exhibitions including at, but not limited to, Season, The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū, The Dowse Art Museum, day01 in Sydney Gadigal, Sumer Gallery, and at Corban Estate Arts Centre. Her work has also been included in numerous group shows, including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and is held in collections including The Chartwell Collection and the Dowse Art Museum collection.

Raukura holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Auckland.

There are images of the works that we talk about on The Good Oil Raukura Turei Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Raukura speak about the benefits of working outside Western norms of art and drawing on whakapapa instead, the interesting overlap of the practice being in part driven by art skills acquired at secondary school, and then critical thinking from a degree in architecture, the first time she incorporated uku, or clay, into her practice, how she considers the work she does with uku to be a collaboration with it, and with equal parts confidence and humility, acknowledging that her practice sits with other Māori, and Māori wahine especially, practitioners and researchers past and present.