Meet The Maker - Messini Palace

Meet The Maker - Messini Palace

WHO IS MESSINI PALACE?

Ngati Apakura, Ngati Maniapoto, Nga Puhi, Ngati Pakeha.
 
Messini is a self-taught artist currently working from her studio in central Auckland. Messini's journey with her cast art is deeply intertwined with her own whakapapa. Growing up in central Auckland in the 80s, she experienced the rich Pasifika & Maori communities but knew little of her own family history. After spending 20 years abroad, Messini arrived back in Aotearoa in 2017 & embarked on a journey of whakapapa discovery, meeting & uniting with Ngāti Apakura iwi members, & most recently witnessing the return of a small pocket of significant ancestral land. It is no mistake to Messini that 'coming home' has resulted in creating art that expresses who she is; a connection between her Māori & Pakeha lineage.
  
She casts off vintage carvings as well as one recently commissioned by Master Carver Mike Matchitt (Wheku Tahi) & carves her own smaller pieces, creating a new journey. 



WHAT IS YOUR ART/CREATIVE PRACTICE?
I am self taught in mould making and my pieces are cast from whakairo rakau (wood carving) I use select vintage pieces and most recently travelled to Rotorua to have master carver Mike Matchitt commission Wheku Tahi. My fusion of Toi Maori and modern mediums such as resin and stone plaster in an engaging colour pallet are in some ways also a fusion of my Maori and Pakeha lineage and I think the result is traditional/contemporary art that is accessible for everyone to enjoy. 

HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN - WHERE DI THE PASSION FOR THE ARTS COME?
My cast art journey is one that I stumbled upon towards the end of 2021. Like many of us the Covid lockdowns reignited interests that perhaps I didn't have the time or motivation to focus on previously and for me that was dabbling in the creative arts, painting and repurposing objects I had in my possession.
I have always been interested in art and design, whilst living in Melbourne I studied Interior Design at RMIT and my father Andy Palace is a local central Auckland scrap metal and glass artist and my mum has always made beautiful funky crochet beanies or crochet over river rocks so it is in my DNA.



WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION AS AN ARTIST?
I grew up in central Auckland in the 80's and 90's and was so lucky to have been surrounded by the rich Pasifika and Maori communities, this has definitely formed the person I am today and also sparked what has become a life changing journey into my own whakapapa discovery since returning to Aotearoa in 2017 after a 20-year hiatus.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WORKING & LIVING IN AOTEAROA?
It is such a human condition, the need to know who you are and where you come from and where you belong. Knowing my whakapapa and being reunited with my iwi, having been a part of reconciliations talks to have iwi land returned and witnessing a small pocket of ancestral land returned earlier this year has definitely been a part of my creative journey in cast art.



WHAT IS YOUR STUDIO/CREATIVE SPACE LIKE?
My art studio in Avondale is a what I would describe as creative chaos, I have separate bench spaces for my stone and resin works, a handmade spray tent with an extractor fan and drying wracks and shelving for curing or painted pieces. However, I am a Virgo so there is a lot of order within this seeming disarray. 

WHAT IS YOUR DRINK OF CHOICE?
Like my dad, I have never been a coffee drinker but at the end of the day I have handpicked steeped (holey) kawakawa leaves and manuka honey as a nightcap.



WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LASTING LEGACY/IMPRESSION BE AS AN ARTIST?
Connection! My journey as an artist has connected me with some amazing people in sometimes unexpected ways and it is continuing to enrich my life in many ways. To me art is about connecting, it has connected me to my tupuna, to other artists, to people who love what I make. 

WHAT DREW YOU TO WORKING WITH THE POI ROOM?
The Poi Room showcase and promote NZ artists and I am so proud to be represented as part of their artist collective and whanau.