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 Pēpeha

 

Ko Tainui tōku waka

Ko Whitireia tōku maunga

Ko Raukawakawa tōku moana

Ko Porirua tōku awa

Ko Takapūwāhia tōku marae

Ko Toa Rangatira tōku whare tūpuna

Ko Ngāti Toa Rangatira tōku iwi

Ko Ngāti Koata tōku hapū

Ko Michael Te Rangihiroa rāua, ko Sylvie ōku mātua

Ko Shannon Te Rangihaeata Clamp-Parata tōku ingoa

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Shannon Te Rangihaeata is an illustrator, photographer  and painter based in  Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, New-Zealand.

 

Brought up between the Basque Country in the South of France, and Aotearoa New-Zealand, Shannon grew up by the seas and the mountains with his French mother, his Māori father and his two siblings.

 

My works are inspired by customary carvings traditionally found in wharenui and painted panels of carved figures from the 1900s century, my work recalls stories of kaitiaki (guardian)and tūpuna (ancestors) from Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. I use Māori symbolism and imagery, such as manaia forms (guardian, ancestor) to enhance the deeper meanings of our stories, whākapapa and our connection with our tūpuna, I hope to engage our people with a visual conceptualization of te ao Māori and reflect on the importance of localised narratives and the mana of our pūrākau, whenua, moana, awa, iwi, hapū and tūpuna.

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"Art and activism have always been linked for me. Influenced by the landscapes of my youth in the Basque Country and the recurring trips back to Aotearoa New-Zealand, I have always been passionate about wildlife protection and conservation and Te Ao Māori. Witnessing the extinction of entire species, the ecological breakdown of shores, destructions of wildlife habitat have all contributed to my  engagement in art-activism for our Natural world.  

I have a deep and strong connection to my  Māori Whakapapa and I am  passionate about keeping Toi Māori alive in my work. Protecting Māori rights and Kaupapa Māori are also foundational to my  artistic output."

 

His passion for wildlife conservation and preservation have been put to the test when travelling to South Africa and working with the association O.R.C.A. At the same time, the concrete jungles of Paris and London have proven to be landmarks in Shannon’s conceptualisation of his art and work.

 

A polyglot and bonafide globetrotter, Shannon seeks to render the beauty and majesticity of his Māori heritage, wildlife and nature into his pictures and drawings, thereby bridging the gap between the world that once was and the world that exists today.