Renée Pearson: Statement

Artwork Statement as a part of Aotearoa Jewellery: Unmapping & Remarking 2026

These works are both a celebration and a mourning. Calling on the familiar rituals and rhythms of a shared cup of tea they allude to a story of personal identity. They explore the history of the artist’s ancestors on the tea plantations in South India, a story with many missing parts. They speak of the joy of sharing stories, over many hours and innumerable cups of tea, the sense of connection and belonging storytelling can create. But also, there is an aspect of mourning, for all the stories that have been lost, that have faded from memory or have been intentionally obscured.

The works incorporate patterns adapted from kolam designs, traditionally drawn as ritual with rice flour in front of entranceways in Southern India. Fragmented and worn, they suggest the erasure that time can bring.

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Working predominantly with greywacke, the most common New Zealand stone, Renée explores social and philosophical concepts in her work relevant to the modern world. Renée’s objects present an archaeological reference alluding to the inevitable transience of the human experience.

A fascination with everyday objects sees much of her work investigating our relationship to the mundane items we interact with on a daily basis and how those objects can create a story of who we are.