Carla Ruka - Clayworker at MAORI MARKet
Carla Ruka, a young woman who is bringing her cultural background to life through her passion and talent as a clayworker, is a featured artist in the MAORI MARKet, happening in Wellington this month...
MAORI MARKet Media Resource (April 2007)
Carla Ruka - Clayworker at MAORI MARKet
Carla Ruka, a young woman who is bringing her cultural background to life through her passion and talent as a clayworker, is a featured artist in the MAORI MARKet, happening in Wellington this month.
Of Nga Puhi and Ngati Whatua descent, Carla (26) is the creator of the beautiful ‘Maori Angel’ series, ceramic figurines that portray an angelic serenity combined with feminine strength and movement, reminiscent of her Maori ancestors and their natural environment.
“I liked the thought of having a Maori angel.”
“As a child we used to swim in the river, Tahekeroa. There was a beautiful waterfall that we used to shower in. Now, the river is polluted from farming. I have tried to capture the waterfall I remember in the hair of the angel.”
Carla has a degree in Maori Art from Tairawhiti Polytech in Gisborne and a postgraduate degree from Toimairangi in Hastings. Its founder Sandy Adsett is Carla’s mentor and he has been instrumental in bringing the young clayworker’s talent to the world. Carla’s creations have been exhibited in Kuala Lumpur, London, and Hawaii. Left behind are her days as a ‘poor art student’; Carla’s works now fetch into the thousands of dollars. Her ceramic head features on the banner for MAORI MARKet. Not bad going for doing something you love so much.
“I feel at home with clay, it’s so relaxing. All my work is an image of how I feel, it is like a photo of what is going on in my mind at that time.
“I can look at a piece that I did years ago, and I can remember exactly the feelings I had when I was making it.”
“And it’s fun. You get to play with mud all day!”
Carla has always loved working with faces. However, she never puts eyes in them and emotions are deliberately ambiguous. “Eyes would make them mortal, alive. And they are immortal.”
The creation of each angel takes around a month.
Carla will be workshopping in clay at MAORI MARKet, at the TSB Bank Arena, Wellington...
ENDS