Biography

Lyonel Grant (b. 1957) is a master carver and sculptor of Te Arawa and Ngati Pikiao descent. In the 1970s he was taught by master carver John Taipa at the Maori Arts and Crafts institute in Rotorua before becoming his First Assistant. Resigning in 1984 he then went on to pursue an independent career. While his early work focused exclusively on traditional Maori carving, he later went on to combine these influences with western sculptural materials and techniques. Grant has undertaken several major projects including commissions from the British Museum and the National Gallery of Scotland, the completion of two meeting houses, the Waitangi Sesquicentennial waka, and the Auckland Unitec Marae.

Grant works in many media - stone, wood, bronze, flax, ceramics, paint, or a combination - each creation having its own distinct character. With an exceptional ability to trust his instinct in pushing the boundaries of a medium, he can take a simple tool such as the adze and shape a waka hull, leaving precise, symmetrical lines. Having learned from time-honoured disciplines, he endeavours to advance the visions of traditional practice by using his own unique methods which is a measure of his confidence and maturity.

"My sculpture links both past and present, new and old, functionality and form . . . my aim is to carry forward the mantle of Maori art using strong traditional values and disciplines, using new materials and themes. I am endeavouring to make the art more accessible to all yet to still maintain the integrity instilled by generations of craftsman whose work remains as inspiration." (Lyonel Grant, 1996).