Saffronn Te Ratana (born 1975) is a visual artist 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 ...

( Ngāi Tuhoe) descent, born in

Palmerston North, New Zealand Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

. Te Ratana went to Palmerston Intermediate Normal School, followed by Palmerston North Girls’ High School. Her work ''PW 1 (Tiki remix)'' is included in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewea collections and as part of the 2013 Auckland Triennial celebrations, her work was acquired by the

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set b ...

Education

Te Ratana graduated from the Māori

Visual Arts The visual arts are Art#Forms, genres, media, and styles, art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as ...

programme Toioho Ki Apiti at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University. Following graduation she has remained involved with the university including as a tutor and lecturer in Māori visual arts.

Career

Te Ratana works with

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art inc ...

, often creating three-dimensional structures using material such as fabrics, cardboard, wood, and

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

. She often works collaboratively with other artists, including creating works with her partner

Ngataiharuru Taepa Ngataiharuru Taepa (born 1976 in Upper Hutt) is a New Zealand artist of Māori ( Te Ati Awa, Te Arawa) and Pakeha descent. Education *Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts, Massey University, 2000 *Masters in Māori Visual Arts, Massey University, 2 ...

for over ten years. Co-created pieces include ''Ka kata te po'' (with Taepa & Hemi Macgregor, shown at the Te Manawa Art Gallery in 2011 then at the 5th Auckland Triennial) and ''Tu te manu ora i te Rangi'' (2008). Considered a leading contemporary

artist, her works draw on her heritage and often comments on the suppression of tribal voices. Her work ''Ka kata te po'' (2011) is a response to the Urewera Raids of 2007. The piece ''Tu te manu ora i te Rangi'' explores Māori cosmology through legends of

Tāne In Māori mythology, Tāne (also called Tāne-mahuta, Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, and several other names) is the god of forests and of birds, and the son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, the sky father and the earth mother, who used to lie in a tight em ...

, Rehua, Ranginui and Papatūānuku, and the Māori creation myth.

Exhibitions

While at university, Te Ratana participated in several high-profile group exhibitions including ''Purangiaho: Seeing Clearly'' (2001) at the

and ''Taiāwhio: Continuity and Change'' (2002) at the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

. Te Ratana's first solo exhibition, ''Pepeha'', was at the Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatu in 2009. She exhibited alongside fellow

artists in the exhibition ''Whakarongo'' at the Tauranga Art Gallery. In 2014, she was part of the exhibition ''Five Māori Painters'' alongside

Robyn Kahukiwa Robyn Kahukiwa (born 1938) is an Australian-born New Zealand artist, award-winning children's book author, and illustrator. Kahukiwa has created a significant collection of paintings, books, prints, drawings, and sculptures. Life Kahukiwa was b ...

, Kura Te Waru Rewiri,

Emily Karaka Emily (Emare) Karaka (born Auckland in 1952) is a New Zealand artist of Māori ( Ngāti Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngati Hine, Ngāpuhi) descent Kirker, Anne. ''New Zealand Women Artists'' Reed Methuen, 1986 Her work is recognised for "its expressive int ...

, and

Star Gossage Star Gossage (born 1973) is a New Zealand painter. In addition to painting, her practice includes theatre, film-making, poetry, and sculpture. While referencing European movements such as expressionism, impressionism and surrealism, her work in ...

. Te Ratana's work in this exhibition reflected her experimental style by taking a three-dimensional approach to painting. She has also exhibited at the Thermostat Art Gallery and her work was included in the touring exhibition ''E Tū Ake: Standing Strong'', with the exhibition visiting international venues including

Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

Personal life

She currently lives and works in

Education

Career

Exhibitions

Personal life

References

Further reading