Jo Tito is a Māori artist whose vision is to: inspire, uplift and heal through nature and creativity. Wondering Earth (WEarth) is an exploration of her curiosity for nature; a desire to explore and create with nature, and learn through observation. WEarth is also an opportunity to share all her learnings with others.
Moeraki. It wasn’t so much the boulders themselves that struck me.
It was how I felt when I saw them. And the space around them that intrigued me.
Harakeke reminds me of my mother’s hands; each line, embedded with stories. She is the resilient nurturer who stands in all weather.
I love creating wharariki paper. It is so strong, just like it's whanaunga (relation) harakeke, but much easier to process because the leaves are already soft.
When my niece passed away Nov 2021, her passing helped me realise the meaning of this work. That we are born to live on this whenua…
This work talks about our evolution from fish and the importance of breath and the support structures in our bodies that support breath.
Tukutuku rākau - a work with many layers that slowly emerged over time, it speaks about the many stories of our rākau Māori embedded in our lives and landscapes.
Harakeke for me is a journey, a reconnection back to who I am. Above and below the whenua it is buzzing with life and I am forever grateful for the many gifts I’ve received from this plant.
Connection to who we are as Māori is connected to place, land, water, sun, moon, stars. And when I ask myself, ko wai au? Who am I? I remember that I am wai, water.