Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Ātiawa
Wi Taepa is best known and much loved for his hand-built sculptural work that cherishes the importance of tangata, taiao and the whenua.
Using pinching, coiling, and slab methods and incorporating elements of whakairo and kōwhaiwhai Wi’s tactile, intuitive, and creative approach to his mahi toi produces original and highly distinctive forms.
Wi has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the solo exhibition Wi Taepa at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi (2012), Ngā Toko Rima at Te Papa Tongarewa (2005), Kiwa at Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver (2003), and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (1995). Most notably, a major survey of his career Wi Taepa: Retrospect was developed by Pataka Art + Museum and toured to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (2018).
A member of Ngā Toko Rima, the senior figures of the Māori clay workers collective Ngā Kaihanga Uku, Wi has been instrumental in the revitalisation of Māori clay practices. Their astounding history and achievements have recently been documented in the publication, Ng Ngā Kaihanga Uku: Māori Clay Artists, produced in collaboration with Te Papa Press and Toi Māori Aotearoa.