To possess a numinous quality is to embody a spiritual essence, suggestive of a divine and enigmatic presence. Each of Keith's creations is numinous in its unique way.

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“Another important factor is the strong belief in spiritual support and influence. Through such processes, the work of one’s ancestors from the distant and immediate past are brought to the fore and recognised as an important part of present endeavours. History is given meaning in the present.” 

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- Dr Rangimārie Rose Pere (Tūhoe, Ngāti Rua pani and Ngāti Kahungunu),1994 

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The presence of a divinity, a sacredness, and our resulting experience of its mysterious or majestic presence, whether it inspires dread or fascination, can’t always be measured or quantified within a modern context. This has moved Keith to try to emulate the unquantifiable, that numinous spiritual awareness, in his work.

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Keith’s journey of spiritual belief and content within his art practice and life has been both a fortuitous and ongoing development - as he connects to his own spiritual wellbeing and the divine presence of his tīpuna (ancestors), so too does his work take on its own divine presence. Numinous is the result of a decluttering of his own human spirit, if you will. It began as a private practice - divining the form his spiritual wellbeing will take, while also divining the forms these vessels and drawings take. And while that private practice now becomes public, whether we collectively believe in something beyond ourselves or not does not concern Keith. These works will always be reflective of his own journey to acknowledge and connect with something beyond himself.

“The nightmare of materialism, which has turned the life of the universe into an evil, useless game, is not yet past; it holds the awakening soul still in its grip.” - Wassily Kandinsky, 1947

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In this post-modern, post-internet age, the glocalisation of images and information has expanded significantly, but at what cost? Where Western politics and religious orthodoxies have directed humans into an addictive function, and where contemporary society “manifests” with materialism and monetary values, where society now thanks god for the abundance of their wealth, it is here that we find we are no longer connected to nature’s rhythm, disrupting our wairuatanga and spiritual footprint in the process. These works, with their earthen materials and raw forms, represent an attempt to reconnect with the whenua, to reconnect with nature and its numinous qualities and to, therefore, heal one’s foundering wairua.

Of course it is possible these works could be considered artefacts which merely resemble spirituality. However, if Keith applies spirituality within his art practice, spiritual concepts and actions are only half the battle - it’s also the beliefs and practices of the spiritual soul which give these works their air of spiritualism. For when Keith’s imagination and soul are open, his observation of the ordinary or the mundane eventually leads him to the perception of the extraordinary and the numinous. The meditative state of the practitioner when revealing these works - breathing life into them, unearthing them from within the non-linear depths of time, past, present and future - is clearly visible to the viewer. The hope, then, is that through examination of these works we may also begin to recognise the numinousness of the world around us.

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- Essay by Rosie Dawson-Hewes