About the Artist

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Born in Kawhia in 1963, Rongotai Lomas is a leading New Zealand animator, film and music video director, editor, and graphic designer. Graduating with a bachelor of fine arts from theUniversityof Canterburyin1988(majoringinfilm and television under Leon Narbey), Lomas has been owner and operator of computer animation company 1A Tapui Ltd since 1993. His design work has been as diverse as the 1996 "Toi" series of stamps for NZ Post and the opening titles and design for television program Mai Time, Te Karere, and 3:45 Live. Recent work includes the editing of two full-length features—Hotere, directed by Merata Mita, and Blerta, directed by Geoff Murphy—and the new Che Fu website for SONY music.

In this issue of The Contemporary Pacific, we highlight Lomas's art as an animator. The stills that appear here are from his celebrated video Te Ika a Maui, made in 2000. Te Mangai Paho Maui is born, fishes up Aotearoa, then sacrifices some of the land back to Tangaroa so there will be peace between them. A beautiful evocation of one of Maoridom's most loved myths, this animated video is featured in a landmark Techno Maori CD-ROM: Maori Art in the Digital Age, produced in 2001.