This Springboard Award is gifted by Philip Carter

Tyrone Te Waa born 1992, is a studio-based artist who works predominantly with found materials including fabric, wood, and paint. Living and working in Tāmaki Makaurau, Tyrone completed his Master of Creative Practice at Unitec in 2021. During his time at Unitec, he was involved in group exhibitions such as Farewell to Fingers and curated the show Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua at Unitec’s Gallery One. More recently Tyrone’s work has been seen in exhibitions from Clingwrap at Sanc Gallery, to A New Net: Four Early-Career Māori Artist at Tim Melville Gallery, where he assembled intuitive gallery installations of bound bust positioned on wrapped timber support structures.

He describes his practice as “An act of knowledge weaving” emphasizing the artist’s hand as the force that brings materials to life. Presently he is working part-time as a teaching assistant within Unitec Creative Industries Programmes and conducting self-directed research based on Takatāpui/gay/queer histories within Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Tyrone will be mentored by renowned fabric artist Ron Te Kawa

Statement from selection panel:

“Tyrone Te Waa collects and forages materials from his surroundings, including the inorganic collections of Tāmaki Makaurau. Recently graduated from a Masters of Creative Practice from Unitec, Te Waa has forged an exciting sculptural practice bringing together textiles and timber with a strong emphasis on intuitive process, and hand crafting–learning and exploring through material transformation. His installations are arresting and unexpected in their wonky, abstracted figuration, and their strong sense of ‘thingness’ and object presence, and incredible sensitivity to colour and texture."