Warwick Freeman influential jewellery artist merges New Zealand’s history unique materials
and Maori Polynesian and European symbols creating culturally resonant designs that bridge
traditions. Text in English and German. Warwick Freeman (b. 1953) is regarded as one of the
world’s most influential contemporary jewelry artists. His works tell of his life culture and
history as well as the history of Aotearoa New Zealand and the country’s unique
materials—millimeter-thick mother-of-pearl from the giant clam 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 the creation
of 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. Text in English and German.
