Hello, kia ora, I am Chervelle Athena, a visual artist born and raised in Waitākere, where I still live and call home. My practice explores how photography can promote and enable a spiritual relational kinship and connection to the kauri ngāhere of Te Ika a Maui. I am interested in how a spiritually informed photographic practice can establish and strengthen, for tauiwi, a political and loving connection to the endangered kauri ngāhere of Te Ika a Māui. I take the position that plants are entities possessing their own life force. I explore how photographs can enable an emotional and spiritual connection to this life force.

I am interested in how my creative practice has the potential to draw attention to and promote care for the natural environment within the context of climatic emergency. I am concerned with how I can use my photographic practice to establish a deeper reflective connection between humans and plants and by doing so, facilitate thoughtful discussion within my communities. I advocate for public awareness about the importance and threat to kauri ora by promoting a more caring and responsible relationship with Aotearoa’s endangered whenua, especially in the context of kauri dieback disease.