Lewis Tamihana Gardiner

Lewis Gardiner is regarded as one of the most innovative and respected Māori jade artists of his generation. In 1994, he graduated in Māori Craft and Design at the Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua. During his final year he was introduced to the valuable medium of pounamu (jade) and was immediately attracted to its artistic possibilities. Māori had always valued pounamu for both its hardness and for its translucent beauty. Lewis was no different — as he says, “Our tupuna (ancestors) have given us, the Māori people, the resource and knowledge base to provide a reference for us and our children for years to come”.

In 1995, he became a full-time jade and bone carver specializing in traditional Māori imagery. Since then he has established his own business, which has enabled him to develop his own style and to shape other carvers’ perspectives on the use of pounamu. Winning the bi-annual Mana Pounamu Awards for contemporary Māori design in 1999, 2001, and 2003, further enhanced his reputation as one of the major jade artists. In 2003, he travelled to China to visit a master jade carver to source tools and study techniques to carve on a larger scale. This knowledge has influenced and enabled his ability to work on both massive sculptural forms as well as small delicate work. His unique sense of design and use of inlay, coupled with his ability to envision large-scale works — often using several varieties of jade — has set Lewis Gardiner apart from many of his contemporaries.

©2007 Spirit Wrestler Gallery

• Fire & Water: Pacific Visions in Glass and Jade exhibition, 2007