Ngaire Pakai

I am Ngaire Pakai, a proud Wiradjuri and Māori woman developing my artist practice on Awabakal land. My cultural connections and practices inform my artmaking, which takes on many mediums like painting, digital art, weaving and textiles as I create as a multi-disciplinary artist. I have a particular interest in Aboriginal weaving, taught to me through cultural revitalisation programs run by staunch Aboriginal women here in the Hunter region. I have worked 7 years in delivering Aboriginal cultural education in a variety of environments, with mob and non-Indigenous participants, whilst also undergoing my studies at UON for Bachelor of Education (Visual Arts).

My personal art practice is to create work that explores Aboriginal ways of making by confusing the contemporary, re-imagining culture, and Indigenising the everyday.

Ngaire has exhibited in multiple group exhibitions in the Newcastle area including Wattspace, University Gallery, Newcastle Museum and a shortlisted finalist for the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) for traditional Adornments.

Ngaire is a recipient of The Creator Incubator's First Nations Artist Residency Award for 2025-2026.