AllMovie

Ralph Hotere is one of New Zealand's most celebrated artists, but he's notoriously reluctant to discuss his work or offer possible "meanings" behind his paintings, sculptures, and installations. In Hotere, a documentary by Merata Mita, the artist declines to speak on camera about his work (though the film does offer a few archival film clips of Hotere talking about his art); instead, the director offers an impressionistic portrait of the man, while offering us a look at his art in hopes of better understanding the man who created it. Hotere received its North American premier at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.