RIKI WAUGH CREATIVE​

Riki Hapimana Waugh…

My sculptural practice grows from a lifetime of working with steel.

After more than twenty-five years in the welding and fabrication industry, I have developed a deep respect for the strength, endurance, and unpredictability of industrial materials.

Through sculpture, I aim to transform these materials from purely functional objects into forms that carry presence, emotion, and narrative.

I am particularly interested in the use of recycled and repurposed steel. Many of the materials I work with have already lived a physical life, in machinery, construction, or infrastructure. By reshaping and recontextualising these elements, I explore ideas of renewal, resilience, and the passage of time.

The natural weathering of corten steel and the warmth of copper patina allow the work to continue evolving long after it leaves the workshop.

My inspiration often comes from the landscapes and identity of Aotearoa. Native bird forms, coastal environments, changing weather, and symbolic everyday objects all influence the direction of my work.

I am drawn to the way sculpture can exist in public space, not just as something to be observed, but as something that interacts with light, wind, rain, and human movement.

Across both large outdoor installations and smaller more intimate works, I aim to create sculpture that feels grounded yet expressive, balancing industrial strength with moments of lightness, flow, and quiet reflection.

For me, making is a way of connecting practical skill with creative intent, and of allowing material to tell its own story through form.