Chris Bryant-Toi

Name
Chris Bryant-Toi
Iwi/Ethnicity
Ngāti Ruawaipū/Māori
Ngāti Porou/Māori
Date of birth
1970
Gender
Male
Biography
Chris Bryant-Toi was raised in Ahuriri/Napier. He studied at Elam School of Fine Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1994. In 2003, Bryant-Toi returned to Te Matau-a-Māui/Hawke’s Bay to take up a role at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Heretaunga/Hastings.

Bryant-Toi works primarily in painting, sculpture and installation. His sculptures draw on Māori architectural forms made from wood, such as heke (rafters) and poutokomanawa (central supporting posts). These are then painted and fired, a technique that gives the works an appearance of age, and is based on the principle of ahi kā, keeping home fires burning.