Alicia Courtney

An exhibiting artist since 1996, Alicia has worked collaboratively and on her own and has exhibited her work through various public and dealer galleries throughout Aotearoa and overseas. Alicia loves to work with all natural and renewable resources in her own way.

Alicia is fortunate to have been guided by many kaumatua of Tai Tokerau and specialists in their fields which have aided her in her artistic career.

Her works often express Alicia’s desire to participate in cultural reclamation and affirmation of inter-relationships, cultural practices and to showcase the technological excellence that tupuna used – bringing back the past for the future.

“Tuia 250 was inspirational to me because it acknowledged there is the possibility of a third landscape that we could move to instead of continuing in the same colonial paradigm, for the sake of our children and grandchildren. We can then move forward into a future together leaving behind the notion of “us and them.”

This is why I am keen to support initiatives to educate our children about our history.

I am also inspired by the words of Dean Spade:

“We can’t just dismantle systems, we have to build up what it is that we want in this world. It is a practice of love, creativity, dreaming and incredible positivity to think we can make something better happen.”