Wai-ō-Rua

Medium - Digital Print on Art Paper - Edition of 20 prints 

"This print I created during a five week artists residency held in Banff,  Canada in September 2025. It is a fusion of ancient rock art from Canada and of Aotearoa. Featuring the buffalo, wheku and medicine people, my goal was to fuse examples of motifs found on rock faces of the Northern Tribes of Canada and some of our examples.  

After hearing about the spiritual connection of the buffalo from our indigenous artists, deeper studies of wheku showed remarkable similarities. Wai-o-Rua, the waters of Rua (Rua Tupua, Rua Tawhito are some of my founding ideologies). Orua, (o-Rua), as a matter of coincidence, or harmony. With these thoughts and ‘Wairua’ Two Waters, or spirit, Wai-o-Rua was born." - Artist Te Rautini Sheridan