Saffronn Te Ratana
Saffronn Te Ratana | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Education | Māori Visual Arts programme Toioho Ki Apiti at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University |
| Notable work | Ka kata te po (2011), Tu te manu ora i te Rangi (2008) |
| Partner | Ngataiharuru Taepa |
Saffronn Te Ratana (born 1975) is a New Zealand visual artist in Palmerston North.[1]
Her mixed media work PW 1 (Tiki remix) is included in Te Papa's collections.[2] As part of the 2013 Auckland Triennial, her work was acquired by the Auckland Art Gallery.[3]
Education
[edit]Te Ratana went to Palmerston Intermediate Normal School, followed by Palmerston North Girls’ High School. Te Ratana graduated from the Māori visual arts programme, Toioho Ki Apiti, at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University.[4][5] Following graduation she has remained involved with the university including as a tutor and lecturer in Māori visual arts.[6]
Career
[edit]Te Ratana works with mixed media, often creating three-dimensional structures using material such as fabrics, cardboard, wood, and fiberglass. She often works collaboratively with other artists, including creating works with her partner Ngataiharuru Taepa for over ten years.[7] 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).[1]
Considered a leading contemporary Māori artist, her works draw on her heritage and often comments on the suppression of tribal voices.[1] Her work Ka kata te po (2011) is a response to the Urewera Raids of 2007.[8] The piece Tu te manu ora i te Rangi explores Māori cosmology through legends of Tāne, Rehua, Ranginui and Papatūānuku, and the Māori creation myth.
Exhibitions
[edit]While at university, Te Ratana participated in several high-profile group exhibitions including Purangiaho: Seeing Clearly (2001) at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki[9] and Taiāwhio: Continuity and Change (2002) at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Te Ratana's first solo exhibition, Pepeha, was at the Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatu in 2009.[10] She exhibited alongside fellow Māori artists in the exhibition Whakarongo at the Tauranga Art Gallery.[11] In 2014, she was part of the exhibition Five Māori Painters alongside Robyn Kahukiwa, Kura Te Waru Rewiri, Emily Karaka, and Star Gossage.[12] Te Ratana's work in this exhibition reflected her experimental style by taking a three-dimensional approach to painting.[13] She has also exhibited at the Thermostat Art Gallery[14] and her work was included in the touring exhibition E Tū Ake: Standing Strong,[15] with the exhibition visiting international venues including Québec, Paris, and Mexico City.[16]
Personal life
[edit]Te Ratana is Māori descent, of the Ngāi Tuhoe tribe. She currently lives and works in Palmerston North.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Saffronn Te Ratana, Ngataiharuru Taepa and Hemi Macgregor". The 5th Auckland Triennial. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana". Te Papa. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "The 5th Auckland Triennial: If you were to live here..." Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana (1975– ), Māori artist biography and portfolio". Spirit Wrestler Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ Zealand, Massey University, New. "Tane and Rehua at centre of new exhibition – Massey University". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Double Vision: when artists create" (PDF). Pataka Education. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana, Hemi Macgregor and Ngatai TaepaThe 5th Auckland Triennial". aucklandtriennial.com. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Purangiaho: seeing clearly: casting light on the legacy of tradition in contemporary Maori art". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana Solo at The Suter -". 2 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Whakarongo at Tauranga Art Gallery". Tauranga Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Five Māori Painters". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Indigenous contemporary works in focus – Announcements – e-flux". www.e-flux.com. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Thermostat Art Gallery » Saffronn Te Ratana". www.thermostat.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Experience Te Papa's New Touring Māori Exhibition". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "2008–2012 past touring exhibitions". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
Further reading
[edit]Artist files for Te Ratana are held at:
- Angela Morton Collection, Takapuna Library
- E. H. McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
- Fine Arts Library, University of Auckland
- Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hākena
- Macmillan Brown Library, University of Canterbury
- Te Aka Matua Research Library, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Also see:
- Interview with artist Saffronn Te Ratana by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki as part of the Five Māori Painters exhibition (2014).
