Māori arts like carving and weaving celebrate the past and continue to evolve through fresh inspiration and new materials. Toi, or Māori art, centres around four primary art forms; raranga (weaving), whakairo (carving), tā moko (tattooing) and …

Traditional Māori art was characterised by an integration of form and function. Objects were made to serve a primarily practical or symbolic purpose. They gave visual form and shape to cultural belief systems and expressed spiritual ideas in natural materials such as …

New Zealand art consists of the visual and plastic arts (including woodwork, textiles, and ceramics) originating from New Zealand and comes from different traditions: indigenous Māori art and that brought here including from early European mostly British settlers.

The spiral in Maori art. In addition to their many forms used in surface decorations, spirals are an important element in relief carving. Maori spirals are almost always double, though single spirals are occasionally seen carved on stone objects.

Maori carvings aren’t religious but secular. They represent the legends & ancestors of the tribe. Here are some of the famous Maori carvings and artifacts.

Kowhaiwhai patterns, carvings (whakairo), weaving (flax, cloaks) and tā moko are associated with Māori art. Explore traditional and contemporary taonga, designs, patterns, and famous Māori artists and their cultural practices.

Toi Māori Aotearoa is an independent Māori arts organisation that cares for the interests of Māori art and artists at a local, national and international level for the benefit of Māori people. Head over to the Store to see a range of exclusive, high-quality Māori artworks, publications and newsletters by our Toi Māori network of artists!

Featuring Maori and New Zealand artists since 1998. With galleries in Auckland and Wellington, we feature traditional and contemporary Maori carving, original artworks, innovative design, unique jewellery, furniture and genuine pounamu/greenstone.

Māori arts like carving and weaving celebrate the past and continue to evolve daily through fresh inspiration, ideas and new materials. Toi, or Māori art, centres around four primary art forms; raranga (weaving), whakairo (carving), tā moko (tattooing) and peitatanga (painting).

Drawing on customary Māori art and European influences to varying degrees, Māori artists have produced some of New Zealand’s most significant and ground-breaking contemporary art. Traditional Māori artists such as carvers and weavers …