maake
This week's feature is a brilliant installation by the artist Taylor-Jane Smith. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Smith's fascination with materials and play come through in a cheerful installation, titled maake, of many pieces coming together as a whole. Below is her statement about the work, as well as an in-depth look at her installation and accompanying video.
maake is really all about having fun.
When I make, I play.
Being able to play with my work is possibly the most important part of my making and it is really important to me for that to shine through in my installations.
I sit with my small sculptures and arrange and rearrange for hours, and love every minute. New experimental and playful ways of working with materials are apparent in my installation, maake. This work got its name from my love for the act of making. I thrive from learning through the process and how that informs my next mark. This helps me develop relationships between works that can be created over an array of mediums. I don’t plan things, but over time the objects somehow tell me where they belong. This year's focus was about trying to find ways to pull together these very different types of work that make up my art practice. maake was my final installation for my third (but not last) year at art school.
Pink is my go-to colour. I can’t explain why, it just is. I sit for long periods of time trying to decide on colour and it is usually some shade of pink that wins me over. However, this year I did push myself to try new colours.
Fun fact, both yellow and green can go really well with pink.
Taylor-Jane is a 24 year old artist from Wellington, New Zealand. She is currently studying Fine Arts at the Collage of Creative Arts, Massey in Wellington, New Zealand.
To see more of her work go to