Graham Tipene

Tā Moko artist

Graham Tipene is a Tā Moko artist who has been involved as a consultant and key artist on civic and Council-led projects throughout Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. His public work brings Māori kaupapa into the built environment of the city, with major projects including the Waterview tunnel, Victoria Park, Auckland Library, and Tirohanga Whānui Bridge. The latest large scale gift to the city is the fully immersive

Tales of a Non Conformist

Since I can remember I've been pissing people off for not doing what they think I should. It’s been beautiful and I have no intention of stopping. Today I seek to engage in a conversation about design thinking from the perspective of someone who never felt so good to not fit in. We’ll explore concepts of Whangai, Geneology of Circumstance and Living in a city that lacks Maori design aesthetic and how our vision of a future Tamaki could be.

I’ll take a dive in to why myself and others have made it our mission to give Maori design thinking the mana it deserves so it is normalised for a generation I will never meet.

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