The totem is traditionally a being, an object or symbol that reminds a group of people of their ancestry or mythic stories. They can provide a means of coping with a way of life in which the physical environment and society chafe against each other. Totem Structure refers to the marks and symbols that are the basic forms of our communication with each other. Whether formed out of simple marks or binary code, people create patterns of meaning that are carried or transmitted from place to place, providing connection and the basis of memory.
I began this series in 2013 and have been building on it since then. The most recent work, 2017, has a more random structure and is, I think more visually interesting.
I began this series in 2013 and have been building on it since then. The most recent work, 2017, has a more random structure and is, I think more visually interesting.
Random Totem, 2017. H:1800mm x W:1800mm x D:1800mm. (Installed). Cardboard, paper, etchings.
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Random Totem, detail.
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Totems to the Mark, 2013. H:1800mm. Cardboard, paper, etchings. Exhibited in Printmaking Beyond the Frame, Gus Fisher Gallery, University of Auckland, 2014.
Totem structure. Wansolwara exhibition. Nathan Homestead, Auckland, 2014.
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Totem to a repeated mark II, 2014. H:1800mm x W:1800mm x D:1800mm. Cardboard, paper, etchings.
In the collection of Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and History, Palmerston North, New Zealand. 
Totems to a repeated mark I, Crossing Boundaries exhibition, Northart Gallery, Auckland, 2013
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