INTERVIEW Christy Quilliam
Shawnee Tekii is a visual artist based in West Auckland, and describes herself as an urban artist specialising in paintings and illustrations. Drawing on influences from overlooked or mundane settings – trying to re-imagine these landscapes and people, with colour, energy and contemporary style – the influences of street-culture, iconic landmarks and her time in Japan collate into vibrant, graphic paintings and skateboards. Using the mediums of acrylic and aerosols, her visual language resonates with all generations.
Connecting with people one-to-one is an essential part of the artistic process. Hearing direct thoughts and recognition in person can transform an artist’s perspective, revealing which pieces resonate most deeply with viewers and why. It’s through these encounters that discovery happens; seeing how others find themselves, a place, or an emotion, reflected in a painting, sculpture, or other medium.
Urban Saint – Staged
Christy Quilliam: What was your journey into art? Did you have mentors who helped you in the beginning of your journey?
Shawnee Tekii: The way that I got into my degree; I was having a terrible time in high school and my parents were aware of this – they gave me an ultimatum, either I suck it up and stick it out, or the other option was to leave early and jump into art school at university. I jumped at that opportunity, I was so excited. I left the next day and then started at Whitecliffe, completing a foundation course before starting my bachelor of arts. That was my first stepping stone into the arts. I always loved it (art) from a young age, but through my studies at Whitecliffe, that’s where my first set of mentors came from. All of my lecturers are mentors that I still go to this very day when I need advice on certain things – they’re connections that I always revert back to when I need help. They’re amazing.
To have lecturers who are still available for their students, is a testament to how important these people can be for past and present students. Mentors are an integral part of an artist’s journey; for their growth, discovery, and the development of their medium and business acumen. Creativity is not just an expression of a vision, there is also a need to initiate connections with the art world and build clientele in order to achieve acknowledgement of their work, and hopefully build a career that sustains them.
I’ve reached out to them for so many things; job interviews that I have gone for, proposals that I have applied for – they’ve also been amazing references when I’ve need them for opportunities. I’m very grateful to have them.
Lighting Town Hall – Staged
CQ: Your paintings and skateboards reflect the urban landscapes, and I’m wondering how your inspiration started for that – are you a skateboarder yourself?
ST: I am not. When I was young I always wanted to be, but I think it was to do with the look more than anything. I loved the fashion, how cool everyone looked at the skate park. My parents did end up buying me one – I used it once and I never touched it again. I’ve always loved sports. I knew from a young age that it was either going to be sport or art that I pursued when I was older. I wasn’t quite tall enough for netball. I played touch rugby, but that doesn’t pay the bills. That’s why I ended up going down the creative path. However, I do think that sports – even just the fashion, streetwear that came with the sports and athletes that I looked up to – heavily influenced the style of my work. I also think that the urban lifestyle really appealed to me when I was younger. I always wanted to live in the city, it fascinated me so much. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and so I think that the merging of that fascination, the street-style and sport, has inspired my work.
CQ: You have recently spent time in Japan, and it has obviously influenced your artwork. Can you speak to the experience of being in Japan, and what about your time there connected to your work?
ST: I went over to Japan for two months for an artist’s residency, where I hoped to get inspiration and make a whole body of works. It definitely influenced the style that I’ve completed recently. I had an exhibition there and I named it Liminal Spaces – while I was there I was in shock at how expressive everyone is in Japan. I think that in New Zealand we have quite a judgy nature, and that people who express themselves boldly will get looks on the street. I loved my time in Tokyo because of their personal fashion style – I felt that I was looking a little rough around the edges compared to them, and this inspired me to put on the coolest outfits. I’d walk out, and think ‘Oh my gosh this is nothing’, although in Tokyo they would come up to me and tell me how much they loved my style and my tattoos. It’s such an expressive country, and there are so many juxtaposing ideas – they’ve got a rich, traditional culture, however they also have innovative technologies. There are quiet alleyways, then you turn the corner and it’s a buzzing street with neon lights. So many contrasts merge and meet at the same time, and I love that idea. That’s what has inspired the new series of works that I am doing; the mixing and meeting of complete opposites while existing together, which creates something amazing. I loved it – I really want to go back soon.
CQ: Is there the potential to get another residency?
ST: Yeah absolutely. I was actually really gutted – there was an opportunity this year, however because of my teaching role I wasn’t able to follow up on it. I am definitely going to try and make some time next year – in-between breaks with work – to get over again, because I was so inspired with my time spent there, and there’s so much to see. It’s huge.
K Rd Chronicles – Staged
CQ: You received the Kings Trust Young Emerging Artist award – did you get to meet the King? How did you feel, being recognised for your art and receiving that award?
ST: I didn’t! But, it was amazing honestly; it really kickstarted my career, and it was one of the highlights of my year, being recognised, and I would love to meet the King. I didn’t realise until I came in contact with the King’s Trust, just how interested he is in the arts and with the creative industries – he’s also a watercolour artist I believe. It was incredible for all of the connections made, and opportunities that I have had, since meeting everyone at the awards. It’s been really instrumental in the growth of myself as an artist, and as an entrepreneur – it’s incredible.
Beat of Brooklyn – Staged
CQ: You have said that your work has been described as, ‘illuminating the stories that lie in the urban landscape’. Do you walk the local streets? Do you search out areas that you want to discover? I’m interested to hear what you have heard and seen from people, or about the landscape that has been an inspiration – how this has been reflected in your art?
ST: I take so many photo’s on my phone of landscapes, and I love to travel – which I am fortunate enough to do – it’s where I get my initial inspiration from. Most of the time the photos are not of the typical buildings or areas that most people would take. Usually I like taking pictures of boring or mundane areas, and then when I am in the creative process I merge a whole bunch of different things together. Sometimes the landscapes are completely made up, even if there are some recognisable elements to them. The reason I like to put in a recognisable sign or landscape is because of the way people can connect to the pieces, which is one of my favourite parts of being in art shows. Seeing viewers being drawn to the colour initially, then once they get closer and see all of the little details, which is where all of the amazing stories come from. It is so interesting. Some of the paintings that I make going into a show, I genuinely think people will relate to a certain piece, and it will be the opposite. For example, the most popular painting by far that people connect stories to was of the Chapel bar in Ponsonby. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a bar, but people tend to have interesting stories tied to that place. Figures that I paint are also something people connect with. Whenever I put people into my paintings, it’s not of anyone specifically – they are completely made up characters, and usually wearing clothes which I wish I could wear myself, things that I love. Viewers can instantly connect to people and faces too I think. That is the sole reason that I add them to my work, because I love hearing all of the different connections – that’s really interesting for me. I had an older woman come to one of my shows, and she was looking at a painting which was based on K rd. It was a painting of a younger girl with tattoos, and she looked at it and said, ‘“Oh my gosh, that reminds me of myself – I thought that was me in the painting”. You never know what people will relate to; it’s really interesting to be able to connect with people through the recognisable parts. Everyone comes in with their own backgrounds, experiences, and connections.
Floating Tower – Staged
CQ: What type of people request commissions from you?
ST: It’s really interesting. As I started to develop my style, I thought it’s definitely catered to the younger audience – people like the urbanity. I honestly cannot generalise the type of people that approach me for commissions, I have such a range of ages, more from people over 40 coming to me to purchase pieces. I’ve even had a retirement home come and have a private viewing at the recent show – they were just amazing. They were connecting to the work so much, which I was blown away by. I even had – bless her – my great aunt come to my show, and as she looked at one of my paintings she started welling up. She was looking at the painting of a cherub tattooed up, smoking on a cigarette and sitting on a bin. And I thought that’s so beautiful, and also so unexpected to see, especially people of the older generations connecting to my work. I spoke to one of the workers from the retirement homes and she was saying that – obviously not speaking for all of the homes – they’re not looking for traditional landscapes. They want colour, they want pieces that are exciting for the residents to see. I think the colour in my work sparks joy in them looking at it, everyone can relate to wanting to feel delight – yeah, overall a whole range of people.
The Many Me – Staged
CQ: Do you mentor outside of your teaching? What do you enjoy about sharing the processes of art with others?
ST: At the moment I’m teaching now at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. At the Wānanga I’ve moved from adult teaching, and I’m now teaching year 12 and 13 which I said I would never do – ever. I resented the idea of it, but here I am and I love it, it’s completely different. When I stepped into my first class I fell in love with it instantly. The idea of talking about and teaching other people is something I love and am so passionate about. There’s something so rewarding in watching them grow and learn new things, even more so than learning myself. At the moment, with all of my students I have taught at Whitcliffe and at the Wānanga, I would say that I’d love to be a contact for them for life in terms of mentoring – exactly the same way that my lecturers still do for me.
I don’t do any direct mentoring with anyone at the moment, however I always take the opportunity to do artist talks, and it is really nice to have past students reach out. If any opportunity comes up, if I can’t help with it personally, I might know someone who’s able to help because there were so many people who are and have been instrumental in my career. Even before I started at Whitecliffe I had an art teacher who was incredible at my high school, who I actually reached out to recently, to thank her and catch her up on what I’ve been doing. She was amazing; she rang my mum in the school holidays to tell her that I’m really far behind and I’m not going to pass, but that I’m really talented and not to waste the talent that I have – she was really instrumental in my growth too.
K Rd Chronicles
CQ: You work with aerosols, and I’m am fascinated to know how you work in that medium – how do you control it?
ST: To be honest, it’s the most difficult part of the entire process. In saying that, it’s the only opportunity throughout the whole method to add something that is an uncontrollable element. I like the contrast of that against the really precise, fine-line work that I do, and I battled for years with this medium. I plan everything to a tee – the entire painting is planned, I know exactly what it’s going to look like – including the spray drips, and where they will drip. When I first started with the process that I do currently, I was constantly sanding back, painting, sanding it back, and re-painting over it so that the drips fell nicely. However, I have learnt to let go of the control a little bit more. Not completely though, because I do like the contrast of the two elements, and it’s typically the only part of my paintings that people recognise as actual paintings and not prints – meaning I have let go of that ‘perfection’ a little bit. If anything, that type of spray-painting can be touched up and fixed if it goes wrong, the stencils – if they go wrong – are really hard to come back from, so I let myself be a little bit more expressive with the sprays.
“Like a lot of creatives find, it’s hard to support myself, focus on artwork, and be passionate about it without support to ease the worry.” Shawnee Tekii
Shawnee Tekii has an upcoming solo exhibition at Studio One in Ponsonby, in March 2026. At this point Tekii is focusing on a big couple of months of preparation for projects she wants to ‘kick off’ next year.