Saffronn Te Ratana

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Saffronn Te Ratana
Born1975 (age 48–49)
NationalityNew Zealand
EducationMāori Visual Arts programme Toioho Ki Apiti at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University
Notable workKa kata te po (2011), Tu te manu ora i te Rangi (2008)
PartnerNgataiharuru 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]

  1. ^ a b c d "Saffronn Te Ratana, Ngataiharuru Taepa and Hemi Macgregor". The 5th Auckland Triennial. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana". Te Papa. 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. ^ "Saffronn Te Ratana". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. ^ 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)
  7. ^ "Double Vision: when artists create" (PDF). Pataka Education. 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[edit]

Artist files for Te Ratana are held at:

Also see:

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