Monni Jansen on her Art Practice 'Te Maunga'
As a Māori artist, my connection to the land runs deep. The whenua (land) is more than just our surroundings—it is part of us. It holds our stories, our roots, our wellbeing.
The idea of kaitiakitanga (guardianship and care for the natural world) has always resonated with me, but it wasn’t until I caught myself rinsing acrylic paint down the sink that something clicked: If I wouldn’t drink this, why would I return it to the earth? That question marked a turning point. From that moment on, I began creating my own pigments from sustainably foraged plant matter—colours born of the land itself.
