The intellectual WEALTH of a savage mind. From the series: A Savage Mind

The intellectual WEALTH of a savage mind, 2015

The intellectual WEALTH of the savage mind unpacks some of the ongoing effects of colonialism in New Zealand. While this feels like the least confronting image in the series, to the trained Māori or culturally tuned eye this is perhaps one of the most hurtful representing the subversion or elements that represent cultural wealth in the form of the turangawaewae, marae, and people. In the image the wharenui, a source of strength and cultural identity, along with the kowhaiwhai and poutama tukutuku symbolising ancestral connection and knowledge has been depicted as dark, disconnected and lonely. The mattresses, for most a symbol of comfort have been piled on top of each other, synchronous of the idea of whakapapa, within this an individual lays buried. The unmoving arm depicted could be from someone trapped, intoxicated or dead, but ultimately they are powerless. A small window provides light, promising a wider world for those who can escape, implying that freedom lays at the putting aside of cultural identity.

From A Savage Mind, this series contains six works that were shown at Tia's solo exhibition in 2015. While other works in the series have received more attention, artist Tia Ranginui advocated for the inclusion of this work along with The intellectual POVERTY of the savage mind in the national collection. Not only are they more subtle than the other works in the series, there is a play in themes where poverty and wealth exist on opposing ends of the continuum, generating a thought process in tandem. The series of "A savage mind" was considered pivotal to Tia, who said that they are supposed to be work that challenge the difficult histories and perceptions of Māori that had become embedded in her mind. Through articulating these works, she was able to bring herself to a space where she could process, grow, and allow other elements of her works to flourish