The Art of Gaire Kahika Tane can be summed up with the three words – Organic, Spiritual, Digital. His inspiration, creative processes and production are derived from nature and the organic, the spiritual and Digital Technology.

Gaire Kahika currently lives in Adelaide Australia though he has lived the life of a nomad from a young age. Having lived in Sydney, The Blue Mountains, Hobart, Canberra, and Adelaide in Australia - As well as Blenheim, Christchurch, Twizel, Waipara and Rangiora in New Zealand. The Tane tribe are very much a family of explorers and as a family were always excited about experiencing new places.

Gaire Kahika became interested in creativity early on, he would build wacky electrical inventions and polish up pieces of wood to take to school for show and tell. Later on he got involved with woodwork, photography and IT, which eventually amalgamated to form his current creative expression.  

Gaire kahika is a combination of self-taught and educated artist, he has spent a lot of time exploring areas of creativity inside and outside of educational institutes. Educational institutes include - The learning connexion art school in Wellington NZ where he studied Art, Natcoll School of Multimedia and design in Christchurch NZ where he studied multimedia and interaction design, and Flinders University Adelaide where he is presently studying a Degree in Digital media / creative arts.

Gaire Kahika has had exhibitions at The Learning Connexion art school where he displayed his end of course collection of printed canvas and wall sculpture works. He has exhibited works at Flight of the Falcon gallery in NZ where he also displayed a collection of printed canvas and wall sculpture works. Gaire Kahika has also exhibited at Wood N Steel gallery in NZ where he hung a range of wall sculpture art, and finally Sycamore garden Centre where he displayed a collection of garden sculptures and creative outdoor furniture.

Gaire Kahika was awarded the Oriel Hoskin scholarship to study at The learning Connexion in Wellington NZ based on an art piece he was working on at the time.

Artist Statement

I was born in a cabin in the mountains in front of an open fire north of Blenheim, New Zealand. From there my upbringing has been filled with a lot of change having lived in many places around both Australia and New Zealand. The aspects that have remained consistent though, are my families’ appreciation for the natural world and a desire to bring positive energy into whatever we do. Creativity is something that has always been a fundamental part of my existence, it seems to satisfy an urge that has always been a part of me. It allows me the freedom to be myself and to make something that can enhance the mood of a space.

My main areas of inspiration are derived from nature, spirituality, and technology. Nature is filled with patterns, colours, textures and energy that speak to me at a deep level. My engagement with spirituality is through martial arts and meditation. For me this provides a philosophical narrative that describes the world in terms of interconnectedness, flow and creativity. And finally, technology as a tool for inspiration and creative expression provides an endless source of fascination for me. Our imagination is truly the limit when it comes to computers and the spectrum of manufacturing peripherals.

My keen interest in Feng Shui is another driving factor in the production of my work. Feng Shui is about elevating the energy of a space so that people feel good being there. When I produce my artistic pieces my aim is to produce something that will elevate the energy of a space.

The artistic work I do is produced with a wide range of materials and technologies. I’m always on the lookout for new ideas and techniques. My process starts with gaining a point of inspiration, often walking in the wilderness taking photos, then maybe sketching some ideas. Things then move into image manipulation software where ideas are refined and developed. Once the idea is refined it can be transferred into vector format and refined further. Finally the work is brought into CNC software that allows me to build a project for manufacturing. This process will vary depending on what is being produced, but with creative work, logistical planning and manufacturing, putting together a project can be quite a lengthy process. For me, a process that is both interesting and enjoyable.