ABOUT
Heritage: Māori, English, Scottish
Tribal Affiliations: Te Wai o hua, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki, Kawerau a Maki
Te Rongo Kirkwood’s practice engages in a dialogue between tradition and innovation, exploring universalism and themes of archetypal and esoteric symbolism and the interconnectedness of humanity with the natural world. Her multidisciplinary approach combines art glass with materials such as steel, fibre, film and performance. Kirkwood approaches her art as a fluid conversation between material and concept.
Whether through glass, performance, or mixed media, she strives to create works that challenge perceptions and provoke contemplation. Her process combining the interplay of light, texture, and form, blends aspects of a Māori world view with contemporary methodologies to produce pieces that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Her works are imbued with a sense of lineage and continuity, serving as bridges between the tangible and the intangible, the historical and the contemporary, navigating the fluid boundaries between past, present, and future, inviting viewers into narratives where time and space converge, embodying a perspective on continuity and transformation.
In 2024, Kirkwood’s work The Seer, The Seen, The Seeing became the first piece by a New Zealand artist to be commissioned for the Rakow Acquisitional Commission at the Corning Museum of Glass. This multi-faceted project encompassed sculptural form and a performance piece, encapsulating her ongoing exploration of preservation and transformation. These themes lie at the heart of her work, transcending medium and engaging with the universality of human experience.
As an artist navigating global discourses, Kirkwood aims to contribute to a richer, more inclusive international narrative. Her work is a celebration of indigenous perspectives, a call to honour cultural specificity while embracing universal
connections.
Heritage: Māori, English, Scottish
Tribal Affiliations: Te Wai o hua, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki, Kawerau a Maki
Te Rongo Kirkwood’s practice engages in a dialogue between tradition and innovation, exploring universalism and themes of archetypal and esoteric symbolism and the interconnectedness of humanity with the natural world. Her multidisciplinary approach combines art glass with materials such as steel, fibre, film and performance. Kirkwood approaches her art as a fluid conversation between material and concept.
Whether through glass, performance, or mixed media, she strives to create works that challenge perceptions and provoke contemplation. Her process combining the interplay of light, texture, and form, blends aspects of a Māori world view with contemporary methodologies to produce pieces that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Her works are imbued with a sense of lineage and continuity, serving as bridges between the tangible and the intangible, the historical and the contemporary, navigating the fluid boundaries between past, present, and future, inviting viewers into narratives where time and space converge, embodying a perspective on continuity and transformation.
In 2024, Kirkwood’s work The Seer, The Seen, The Seeing became the first piece by a New Zealand artist to be commissioned for the Rakow Acquisitional Commission at the Corning Museum of Glass. This multi-faceted project encompassed sculptural form and a performance piece, encapsulating her ongoing exploration of preservation and transformation. These themes lie at the heart of her work, transcending medium and engaging with the universality of human experience.
As an artist navigating global discourses, Kirkwood aims to contribute to a richer, more inclusive international narrative. Her work is a celebration of indigenous perspectives, a call to honour cultural specificity while embracing universal
connections.
Selected Exhibitions
2025 Glass, Group Exhibition, James Blackie Gallery, Wellington
Flow, Group Exhibition, James Blackie Gallery, Wellington
Aotearoa Art Fair, James Blackie Gallery, Auckland
2024 The 38th Rakow Commission, The Seer, the seeing, the seen, Corning Museum, NY
Aotearoa Art Fair, Te Manawa, Auckland
The Whakatipu Chronicle, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries Queenstown
2022 Puru Hau, Solo Exhibition, NZ Glassworks, Whanganui
2022 Northlands Creative, Collect Art Fair, London
2022 Sculpture on the Gulf, Group Exhibition, Waiheke Island, Auckland
2021 TG Transitions in Glass, Finalists Exhibition, Bellevue Museum, Portland, Oregon
2021 Glass, Meet the future, North Lands Creative, Scotland, Toyama
Institute of Glass Art, The Museum of Arts and Design, New York
2020 Toi tu toi ora, Group Exhibition Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland
Studio A, Group Exhibition Milford Galleries, Queenstown
2019 Hiwa I Te Rangi, Solo Exhibition TR Gallery, Auckland
2018 Whanau Marama, Solo Exhibition Dec 2018, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Wunderkammer, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
2017 As Above so Below, Solo Exhibition Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Fine lines, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Aurora, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
2016 Auckland Art Fair, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Korero Mai, Korero Atu, Group Exhibition, Auckland Museum, Auckland
The Earl Street Journal, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
He Waka Eke Noa, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
2015 Nga kakahu Karaihe Solo Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Aurora, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
The Review, Group Exhibition, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
2014 Te Hau a Uru: A message from the west, Group Exhibition, Te Uru Gallery inaugural opening
Ranamok, Group Finalists Exhibition Canberra Glassworks, Canberra, Australia
Ka Awatea, a journey of life through light, Solo Exhibition, The de Young Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco
2013 Ranamok Glass Prize Winners Collection, Group Exhibition, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Australia
Paradise Lost? Contemporary Works from the Pacific, Group Exhibition, UBC
Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC
Call of Taranaki, Group Exhibition Puke Ariki Museum, Palmerston North
Star and Cloak, Group Exhibition Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington
Art that Reconnects, Whangarei Art Museum, Whangarei
Aho Whenua, Threads Sown from Earth, Group Exhibition Pataka Museum, Wellington
2012 Mini Masterworks 4, Group Exhibition Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Legend! Group Exhibition Whangarei Art Museum, Whangarei
Reboot, Group Exhibition Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Ka Awatea, a journey of life through light, Solo Exhibition, Pataka Museum, Wellington
The Review, Group Exhibition Milford Galleries, Dunedin
2011 Summer Show, Group Exhibition Milford Galleries, Dunedin
Traverse, Surveying significant New Zealand Glass, Milford Galleries, Dunedin
2010 Mini Masterworks, Group Exhibition, Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2009 Mini Masterworks 3, Group Exhibition, Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Contemporary Maori Art, Pacific Gallery, Group Exhibition, Pataka Museum, Wellington
2008 Small Treasures Exhibition, Group ExhibitionDe Young Museum, San Francisco, USA
Awards and Residencies
2024 38th Rakow Commission, Corning Museum, New York
2022 Design Award, First Place TG Transitions in Glass, Bullseye Glass, Oregon
2022 Architectural Award, Second Place TG Transitions in Glass, Bullseye Glass Oregon
2021 New Zealand Glassworks Inaugural Residency
2013 Matariki Whakapuawai Creative Entrepreneur of the year award
Public Sculpture
2023 Te Rangi I Totongia a Tama Te Kapua, Waiheke Island, Auckland
2020 Te Kaeaea, Hokioi, Collection of Auckland City Council, Te Manawa Library, Auckland
2015 Te Aho Maumahara Collection of Auckland City Council, Devonport Library, Auckland
2009 Te Whakakitenga, Pou Ihi, Collection of Auckland City Council, Auckland
Collections
The Dowse Art Museum, Wellington
The Corning Museum, NY
Waiheke Sculpture Trust, Auckland
Auckland Museum, Auckland
Auckland City Council Collection
Ranamok Glass Prize Winners Collection