Satori Mayell
ecology-based wildlife artist
I have always held a deep love and reverence for the natural world; growing up with Steve Irwin, David Attenborough, and many other passionate naturalists as my childhood heroes. I viewed our native birds especially as almost mythic creatures with how much reverence they were given in both Māori legends and recent conservation efforts, regaling tales of species saved from the brink of extinction in feats rivaling the greatest fantasy books.
Art and creativity has been as much a constant in my life as my love of birds; sculpting tiny creatures out of polymer clay and playing with every creative medium I came across for as long as I can remember. It was in the first Covid lockdown when I tried needlefelting and immediately felt an affinity for it as a sculpting material. Working with wool meant I could make large and detailed sculptures that were delicate, but not fragile, and I quickly found ways to incorporate my other skills to make mixed-media pieces with a specific style to them.
Having studied sustainability and outdoor education and having a career that spans a variety of guiding and conservation roles, it’s important that my art not only captures my love of our taonga species, but inspires and educates people about them and the many threats they face. I especially love highlighting more obscure species that are unseen or unappreciated by the public at large, and tie in local groups and activities people can support to foster their own relationship with the land around them.
Since I have started sculpting with wool I’ve done two solo exhibitions and joined in on several group and fundraising exhibitions. My first solo exhibition was here in Christchurch, and featured many local forest and wetland species. My second was hosted at the Ōwaka museum in The Catlins, and celebrated the incredible diversity of forest and marine life while calling for better protection of them.
I was incredibly humbled to visit the Subantarctic Islands with Heritage Expeditions in January; the trip was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I am working on many pieces that convey my awe of these remote wild places and the efforts to restore Auckland Island.
At the moment I am leasing desk space at the Christchurch Envirohub to work on commissions and set up my own art website, while also doing a lot of work to promote awareness and protection of the brilliant and irreplaceable ecosystem that is the Denniston Plateau.
