Saffronn Te Ratana

Saffronn Te Ratana (born 1975) is a visual artist of Māori (Ngāi Tuhoe) descent, born in Palmerston North, New Zealand.[1] Te Ratana went to Palmerston Intermediate Normal School, followed by Palmerston North Girls’ High School.

Saffronn Te Ratana
Born1974 (age 46–47)
NationalityNew Zealand
EducationMāori 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(s)Ngataiharuru Taepa

Her work PW 1 (Tiki remix) is included in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewea collections[2] and as part of the 2013 Auckland Triennial celebrations, her work was acquired by the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.[3]

Education

Te Ratana graduated from the Māori Visual Arts programme Toioho Ki Apiti at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University.[4] Following graduation she has remained involved with the university including as a tutor and lecturer in Māori visual arts.[5]

Career

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.[6] 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).[7]

Considered a leading contemporary Māori artist, her works draw on her heritage and often comments on the suppression of tribal voices.[7] 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

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

She currently lives and works in Palmerston North, New Zealand.[7]

References
  1. "Saffronn Te Ratana". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  2. "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. "The 5th Auckland Triennial: If you were to live here..." Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. "Saffronn Te Ratana (1975– ), Māori artist biography and portfolio". Spirit Wrestler Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. Zealand, Massey University, New. "Tane and Rehua at centre of new exhibition – Massey University". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. "Double Vision: when artists create" (PDF). Pataka Education. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  7. "Saffronn Te Ratana, Ngataiharuru Taepa and Hemi Macgregor The 5th Auckland Triennial". aucklandtriennial.com. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  8. "Saffronn Te Ratana, Hemi Macgregor and Ngatai TaepaThe 5th Auckland Triennial". aucklandtriennial.com. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  9. "Purangiaho: seeing clearly: casting light on the legacy of tradition in contemporary Maori art". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  10. "Saffronn Te Ratana Solo at The Suter -". 2 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  11. "Whakarongo at Tauranga Art Gallery". Tauranga Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  12. "Five Māori Painters". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  13. "Indigenous contemporary works in focus – Announcements – e-flux". www.e-flux.com. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. "Thermostat Art Gallery » Saffronn Te Ratana". www.thermostat.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  15. "Experience Te Papa's New Touring Māori Exhibition". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  16. "2008–2012 past touring exhibitions". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.

Further reading

Artist files for Te Ratana are held at:

Also see:

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