Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery (born 27 May 1966) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent. He is one of New Zealand's most well known artists and his work is held in many art collections in New Zealand and around the world.

Early life

His mother is Samoan Bula Tuffery (nee Paotonu) and his biological father was Cook Island Tahitian. His step father was Denis Tuffery, of European descent. He attended

Newlands College Newlands College is a state coeducational secondary school located in the Wellington, New Zealand suburb of Newlands. Opened in February 1970, the school has a roll of students as of The current principal is Grant Jones. The current deputy pr ...

in Wellington, and has a Diploma in Fine Arts (Hons) from the School of Fine Arts at

Otago Polytechnic Otago Polytechnic was a public New Zealand tertiary education institute, centred in Dunedin with additional campuses in Cromwell and Auckland. Otago Polytechnic provided career-focused education and training, offering a range of New Zealand accr ...

(1989). He lives and works in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

Career

One of his distinctive sculptures from 1994 is the life-sized work, entitled '' Pisupo Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000)'', which was constructed from flattened and riveted re-cycled corned beef tins. His work is shaped by his research into, and encounters with his Polynesian heritage while making use of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

design. Many of his works explore colonialism and people's treatment of the environment. Renowned as a printmaker, painter and sculptor, Tuffery has gained national and international recognition, and has made a major contribution to New Zealand art.

Awards

He was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have re ...

, for services to art, in the

2008 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...

. In 2010 he was awarded the Contemporary Pacific Art Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifka Awards, while in 2020 he received the Senior Pacific Artist Award from the same organisation.

List of works and exhibitions

Tuffery has exhibited extensively in New Zealand and internationally. * 1989 ''Tautai Artists'', Gallery 33 1/3 and Louise Beale Gallery, Wellington *1990 ''

Te Moemoea no Iotefa Te Moemoea no Iotefa was the first exhibition held in a civic art gallery in New Zealand focused on contemporary Pacific art. Exhibition The exhibition was curated by art historian Rangihiroa Panoho for the Sarjeant Art Gallery in Whanganui in 199 ...

'',

Sarjeant Art Gallery The Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui at Pukenamu, Queen's Park Whanganui is currently closed for redevelopment. The temporary premises at Sarjeant on the Quay, 38 Taupo Quay currently house the Sarjeant Collection, and all exhibitions a ...

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

* 1990 ''Three Polynesian Artists'', Robert McDougall Art Gallery,

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

* 1990 ''Anti Drift Net Series'', ASA Gallery,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

* 1994 ''

Bottled Ocean Bottled Ocean was an exhibition of work by New Zealand artists of Pacific Island descent that was shown at a number of metropolitan art galleries in New Zealand in 1994–1995. It featured the work artists who have become notable figures in New Zeal ...

City Gallery Wellington City Gallery Te Whare Toi is a public art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. History City Gallery Te Whare Toi began its life as the Wellington City Art Gallery on 23 September 1980 in a former office block located at 65 Victoria Street, now ...

and touring * 1994 ''Woodcuts on Tapa'', Claybrook Gallery, Auckland * 1994 ''Pisupo Lua Afe'', Wellington * 1994 ''Povi Tau Vaga - The Challenge'', Wellington * 1996 ''7th Festival of Pacific Arts'' group exhibition,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

* 1997 ''Pacific Diaries'', Hogarth Gallery,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

* 1997 ''Common Ground'', Page 90 Art Gallery,

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

* 1998 ''Recent Works'', Portfolio Gallery, Auckland * 1998 ''Paringa Ou'', Fiji Museum,

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...

* 1998 ''Testing Traditions'', Aotea Centre, Auckland * 1999 ''O le Vasa Loloto ma le Laloa'', Christchurch * 1999 ''Povi Lua Noumea'', and ''Faga Ofe E'a'', in collaboration with artist

Patrice Kaikilekofe Patrice is a given name meaning ''noble'' or '' patrician'', related to the names Patrick and Patricia. In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French, it is used as a masculine first name. Popularity In the United States, the po ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

* 2001 ''Asiasi'', Jane Land Gallery, Wellington * 2001 ''Out of the Blue'', Hawkes Bay Exhibitions Centre,

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

* 2002 ''Mata Mata'', Toi o Tamaki, Auckland City Art Gallery * 2002 ''Diaspora - Art of the Asia Pacific'', Portfolio Gallery, Auckland * 2002 ''Pasifika'', The Lane Gallery, Auckland * 2003 ''Voyages'', The Lane Gallery, Auckland * 2003 ''Animated Effigy'', MacKay Art Gallery, North Queensland * 2012 ''First Contact'', multi-media work for the opening of the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival * 2012 ''Siamani Samoa'', Pataka Museum and Gallery, Porirua * 2012 ''50 Years of Friendship: New Zealand & Samoa'', commemorative NZ coin design issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. * 2013 ''Made in Oceania: Tapa – Art and Social Landscapes'', Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Germany * 2015 ''World War I Remembered: A Light and Sound Show'', multi-media installation with Ngataiharuru Taepa, Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, Wellington

References

External links

Artist's websiteWorks from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaInterview with Michael Tuffery about his project commemorating the anniversary of World War One
Standing Room Only,

Radio New Zealand National RNZ National ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa Ā-Motu), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operat ...

, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuffery, Michel New Zealand painters New Zealand people of Cook Island descent New Zealand people of French Polynesian descent New Zealand people of Samoan descent Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Living people Otago Polytechnic alumni 20th-century New Zealand sculptors 20th-century New Zealand male artists 21st-century New Zealand sculptors 21st-century New Zealand male artists 1966 births