Ōpōtiki artist Fiona Kerr Gedson’s unique featherwork is recognised globally, and is held in collections in Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Canada, Scotland, China, Britain, U.S.A, and Australia. She began creating handmade objects in childhood and has been exhibiting her works since 1996.

A visit to Nepal in 1998 cemented Fiona’s circular designs, which are based on the Mandala, meaning circle in Sanskrit.

Fiona’s artistic works have also evolved from her experiences Māori weaving, especially kahu huruhuru (cloaks), which she has been practising for over two decades. She was also inspired by a visit to Dunedin, where she encountered the minimalist works of Ralph Hōtere, who also used circles of colour against a black background.

Fiona’s kaleidoscopic pieces do not use native birds to create her works, she ethically sources turkey, pheasant, peacock and speckled guinea fowl feathers. All of which hold a host of hues and patterns within their pelts. In Peacock Mandala (2020), Fiona’s intricate feather work is truly unique and beguiling. Meticulous colours and shapes are soothing and meditative. In GE Mandala Kikorangi (2021), she has been inspired by traditional korowai (cloaks), to create an incredible Mandala pieced together by hand.

Fionas’s GE Mandala pieces are all uniquely constructed exclusively from collected feathers, adding complexity to the Mandala form, inspiring a sense of calm as well as awe. She calls this ‘a geometry of human connection’, and works patiently to piece together feathers with correct measurements to complete each work.