THE VEIL
A central element of my painting practice is the veil: a field of individual dots that moves across the surface of my work.
The idea comes from a Māori understanding of time and existence in which past, present and future are not necessarily separate, but move together. Through my journey into Māori art, I have come to understand the land not simply as a place, but as a living entity—one that holds the presence and energy of those who have walked upon it before us. With six generations of my own ancestors resting in Aotearoa, this relationship with whenua has become fundamental to my practice.
The veil draws from the contours of the New Zealand landscape—its rivers, hills and mountains. Each individual dot represents an element of that landscape, whether it be a grain of sand, a speck of earth, a snowflake or a drop of water. Individually these elements may seem insignificant, but together they form the landscape we inhabit. The repetition and layering of the dots is influenced by the way elements within whakairo come together to create movement, rhythm and life. The veil can also be understood as a field of energy, permeating our existence and passing between the visible and unseen worlds.
The density and placement of the veil changes according to the subject and the story being told. When representing a person living on one side of the veil, the lines of dots extend across the entire subject, creating a complete veil. Where the idea is one of passage between worlds, I leave deliberate gaps within the lines, creating spaces through which elements can move. In my bird works, the veil is often much sparser, with only a small proportion of the surface covered by dots. The veil remains present, but its lightness suggests that birds can move more freely between the visible and unseen worlds.
This is particularly evident in my work with birds. Birds have long held a place as messengers and intermediaries within Māori pūrākau, and across many cultural traditions they occupy a space between worlds. In these works, the veil becomes lighter, suggesting their ability to move effortlessly between the seen and unseen.
Across various bodies of work, the veil has continued to evolve alongside my exploration of birds, people, memory and connection. It is a visual language that brings the elements of my work together, creating movement while reinforcing the idea that we are all connected—to one another, to the land, to those who came before us, and to what lies beyond what we can see.
The veil is therefore more than a layer placed over the image. It is an expression of the space between worlds, and of the energy that moves through all things.