Warwick Freeman

In the 1980s, Warwick Freeman (b. 1953) co-revolutionised the world of New Zealand jewellery, which led to the creation of a unique artistic language. Today, he is regarded as one of the world’s most influential contemporary jewelry artists.

His works tell of his life as a Pākehā – as the Māori call descendants with European roots – of his culture, and history, as well as the history of Aotearoa New Zealand and the country’s unique materials: the millimetre-thick mother-of-pearl of the pearl oyster, the iridescent inner membrane of the pāua (a rainbow abalone), and the pounamu (a type of greenstone). He works with found objects in which he recognises a 'sign from the past', a kind of archetype, something familiar, and discovers forms, symbols, and images that connect Māori, Polynesian, and European civilisations through emblematic meanings that transcend their cultures. As such, Freeman has long been a mediator between the cultures.