Kete Aronui - Fiona Pardington

Episode four, series four of this Māori artists’ profile series, tracks eminent photographer Fiona Pardington. In this extract Pardington works with her brother Neil, and discusses her life path: her Māori roots, wanting to be a photographer at age six, art school, and the hard road to making a living as an artist. Describing her medium as one of mood and depth, her search is for a balance of knowledge and wairua. Includes images of her stunning interpretations of cultural taonga, such as specimens of esteemed (and extinct) huia birds, and carved pounamu.

Simply I could describe my art as being … it may have many different faces but it's always from the heart. That is something that I think is often lacking, or frowned upon, in contemporary practice. But I've decided since I'm a little bit older that I don't really have time for worrying about what people are thinking about me, I'm much more interested in following the intuitions I have about what's right for the things that I see.

– Pardington on her work

Key Cast & Crew

Tessa Tylee

Director

Chelsea Winstanley

Producer

Christopher Pryor

Camera

Gene Rivers

Composer

Ngatapa Black

Narrator

Alex O'Shaughnessy

Editor