Nyle Turuwhenua

Nyle Turuwhenua’s work explores notions of whakapapa, connection, and mātauranga Māori. For Nyle, developing skills as a weaver has been an important catalyst in her personal and artistic growth, opening pathways to reflect on identity and cultural heritage. Her printmaking practice encapsulates ideas of kaitiakitanga, intergenerational knowledge, and ancestral connection through physical making.

 In Nyle’s work, birds and weaving play a key role in the act of kaitiakitanga. Nyle values the tactile and the handmade, embracing the labour involved in printmaking and weaving. Both of these processes involve preparation, repeated actions, and physical dexterity, which sometimes leads to hands that are calloused and cut. For Nyle, art making is a labour of love, a journey of discovery, and a practice that fosters deep connections to self, others and whenua. Nyle Turuwhenua is a proud member of Toi Whakaata Māori Print Collective.