Tessa Williams (Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Rangi) is an interdisciplinary artist, who places her voice as a Māori mother at the centre of her practice. She explores sustainable methods and materials, with the understanding that how she makes will impact on the world her descendants live in. Her method of making unapologetically declares the relationship Māori have with their environment. Tessa's work opens up conversations addressing current issues affecting Māori, always reflecting on whakapapa, mana and mauri. Her work is inspired by the diverse everyday lives, loves and heartaches of Māori today, as she redirects the colonial narratives of ‘Who Māori are’ with her art.
Mana Motuhake was made in response to Rāwiri Waititi Māori Party co-leader being removed from the House by Speaker Trevor Mallard over a refusal to wear a tie. The tiki forms depicted are modelled in kōkōwai, red clay dust (Haematite), highly prized and used, among other reasons, to adorn the faces of chiefs. The use of kōkōwai as personal adornment died out soon after European settlement. The title Mana Motuhake can be translated as meaning ‘self-determination’ or ‘sovereignty’.