Artist Profile: Georgia Hood

Can you start by telling us a little about yourself?

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Tēnā koe, thank you for having me! Ko Ngāti Rangiwewehi, ko Ngāti Whakaue, ko Ngāti Raukawa ngā hapū ki te taha o tōku māmā. Ko Ngāti Pākehā te iwi ki te taha o tōku pāpā. Ko Georgia Tikaputini Douglas Hood ahau. 

How did your journey with ceramics begin?

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I’ve been a crafty person for as long as I can remember, and in 2021 my friend Bonnie asked if I wanted to do the Throw it Down class at Studio One Toi Tū. I remembered that I did art classes there when I was eight years old and loved it, so of course I agreed. I fully introduced myself to uku (clay), and for lack of a better way to put it, I fell in love. I now have my own space in this studio, which I love. I was so enabled by the people around me, like Val (ceramics tutor), and the team at Studio One Toi Tū. It all felt like it was meant to be, and I feel very lucky.

What ceramics traditions or practices have inspired you? 

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Well, clay has been a massive part of Greek culture for thousands and thousands of  years, and this has resulted in some seriously cool and interesting work derived from their environment. In 2024, I visited Greece and was deeply struck by several remarkable artefacts. Their surfaces were beautifully illustrated, and I later discovered they were intricately decorated coffins, crafted for royalty and people of high status. I took part in an artist residency held on the island of Crete. On a day trip to Margarites we were taken to a farm run by a family that had a massive wood-fired kiln and mountains of clay piled up next to this self-made manual clay processing station and a shared love for uku and the act of creating gave me a strong sense of belonging.

Wi Taepa, whose work I first saw in the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki many years ago; Richard Parker, a ceramicist from Nelson, whose work has been an integral part of me finding my style; Anna Miles and Richard Fahey (gallerists that own a lot of Parker’s work), who I met in 2023 and who introduced me to Peter Hawksby and Tanja Nola, a ceramic artist I share a studio with, who has been instrumental in making me believe in myself and to keep doing what I’m doing.

What are you currently working on?

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Now that I’m back home, there’s a feeling of wanting to connect more with uku in a holistic way. I have been learning more about uku in Te Ao Māori to further deepen and  understand that connection. Ngā Kaihanga Uku is a collective of Māori clay artists that has opened a whole new world in clay for me. I’ll definitely be exploring more into their kaupapa and how it relates to me and my mahi. In terms of technical exploration, I’d love to get better at glazing, and I’m going to try going massive in terms of scale.

Do you have any rituals or habits in the studio that help you get into a creative flow?

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I like to do a little Karakia to invite good energy into the studio because my work is very intuitive and I plan very little, so it’s nice to start the day with a karakia to welcome some focus into the subconscious. Other than that, a deep breath in and out when I enter my studio usually puts me in the right headspace.