Baye Riddell uses terracotta clay from his family land at Te Puia Springs, and prepares it in ways that reflect his care and respect for this material. Baye has made a range of both glazed and unglazed ware. For large exhibition pieces like ‘Nga Korero a Kawari’, he prefers to leave the clay unglazed so that it can ‘speak for itself.’
In his work Baye explores Christian and Maori themes and the links between them. For Baye, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is an expression of Christian belief in Christ’s victory over death. He sees a parallel between this belief and the story in Maori mythology of Maui’s quest for immortality. Gateways are also a central theme in his work, with their symbolic meanings of challenge, decision, and the unknown.
