Warwick Freeman. Hook Hand Heart Star

His works tell of his life, culture, and history, as well as the history of Aotearoa, New Zealand and the country’s unique materials — millimetre-thick mother-of-pearl from the pearl shell, the iridescent inner membrane of the pāua (a rainbow abalone), and the pounamu (a type of greenstone). Freeman — the Pākehā, as the Māori call descendants with European roots — has long been a mediator between the cultures. In the 1980s, he co-revolutionized the world of New Zealand jewelry, which led to creating a unique artistic language. Freeman discovers forms, symbols, and images that connect Māori, Polynesian, and European civilizations through emblematic meanings that transcend their cultures — Hook. Hand. Heart. Star.