THE GRAND MASTERS: TANIA NIWA
Tania Niwa is a Maori and at the same time a grand master photographer who in a single image can tell stories of great complexity. To do this she had to master the craft of classic and contemporary photographic techniques and at the same time express the complexity of her culture and her individual vision of life. Maori are inseparable from the physical and spiritual side of life that binds us to our land, rivers, mountains, and the thread of history and culture that has made us the people we are today.
Tania understands this whether in a contemporary or traditional setting. She has developed a global picture of time, space and history that allows her the vision to recognise that moment in time where the `magnificent beast image’ is waiting to be captured. When captured it takes on its own universal life form. Tania is an experienced `hunter’ of great images and is a grand master photographer proudly representing her Maori people in the world.
Darcy Nicholas, QSO | Contemporary Maori Artist