Rachael Rakena (born 1969 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 me ...

) is a New Zealand artist.

Education

Rakena received a Diploma in 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 ...

in 1992 and in 1995 obtained a degree in Māori Studies. She completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts (Distinction) in 1996. She received a master's degree in 2003 with a dissertation titled ''Toi rerehiko'' which explored digital and electronic technologies from a Maori perspective.

Career

Rakena draws inspiration from her family connections to Ngāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi and Pakeha ancestries. Rakena uses the term 'toi rerehiko' to describe her practice, meaning ‘art that employs electricity, movement and light’. Rakena’s work is mainly collaborative. She has worked with the sculptor

Brett Graham Brett Graham (born 1967) is a New Zealand sculptor who creates large scale artworks and installations that explore indigenous histories, politics and philosophies. ''Snitch'' from 2014, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, refer ...

, the soundscape artist Keri Whaitiri, and dancers and choreographers such as Louise Potiki Bryant, Maaka Pepene, Justine Hohaia and Corinna Hunzika, all from the

Atamira Dance Company Atamira Dance Company is a Māori contemporary dance company in Aotearoa (New Zealand) based at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Auckland. History In 2000, the company was founded from a vision of Jack Gray's for a collective of young Māori ...

. While at the University of Otago, Rakena was involved in the community group Kai Tahu Whanau ki Araiteuru, which was committed to the revitalisation of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

narrative, tikanga (cultural practices) and kawa (cultural protocols).CAG p76 Rakena has previously lectured in the School of Maori Visual Arts at Massey University and is currently a senior lecturer at Massey University’s School of Fine Arts.

Major exhibitions

Rakena’s work has been included in exhibitions in New Zealand and internationally. In 2006 she represented New Zealand with Brett Graham at the

Sydney Biennale The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...

; in 2007 their collaborative work ''Aniwaniwa'' was included at the collateral events at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. Her work was also included in Pasifika Styles at Cambridge University, and in Dateline: Contemporary Art from the Pacific at Neuer Berliner Kunstverien. *2002 ''Mihi aroha'' in ''Whare'' exhibition, SOFA 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 River / ...

*2003 ''Water: Our space'' - a digital media installation exhibited at the

Hocken Collections Hocken Collections (, formerly the Hocken Library) is a research library, historical archive, and art gallery based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its library collection, which is of national significance, is administered by the University of Otago. Th ...

*2003 ''Rerehiko'' in ''Te Puawai o Ngai Tahu: 12 Contemporary Ngai Tahu Artists'',

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, commonly known as the Christchurch Art Gallery, is the public art gallery of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It has its own substantial art collection and also presents a programme of New ...

*2004 ''Ahakoa he iti...'' - a collaborative work with soundscape artist Keri Whaitiri, commissioned by Art & Industry Biennial Trust for SCAPE 2004 Biennial in Christchurch *2004 ''Iwidotnz'' in ''He Rere Kee: Taking Flight'' Tinakori Gallery, Wellington *2005 ''Taonga Whanau'' - a collaborative exhibition with the artist, her father Otene Rakena, a pounamu carver, and her sister Hana Rakena, a ceramic artist, SOFA Gallery, Christchurch *2006 ''Aniwaniwa'' - a collaborative work with Brett Graham, Venice Biennale *2006 ''U.F.O.B'' - a collaborative work with Brett Graham for the 2006 Biennale of Sydney *2007 ''U.F.O.B'' - a collaborative work with Brett Graham, shown in ''Telecom Prospect:New Art New Zealand'',

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 ...

*2008 ''Dateline: Contemporary Art from the Pacific'', Neuer Berliner Kunstverien, Germany *2008 ''World Histories'', Des Moines Art Center, Iowa *2008 ''Aniwaniwa'',

*2008 ''Dateline: Return'',

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is a contemporary art museum at New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. The gallery receives core funding from the New Plymouth District Council. Govett-Brewster is recognised internationally for contemporary art. H ...

*2006-2008 ''Mo Tatou'', Ngai Tahu Whanui exhibition

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 ...

*2008 ''Video Ground: Recent Moving Image Works from Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand'', a MAAP (Multimedia Art Asia Pacific touring program): Bangkok Experimental Film Festival and University of Chicago Film Studies Center *2011 ''Haka Peep Show'', shown in Dunedin as part of the 2011

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

*2012 ''Contact: Artists from Aotearoa/New Zealand'', Frankfurter Kunstverein, Germany

Personal life

Rakena is 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 C ...

(

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 165, ...

and

) descent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rakena, Rachel 1969 births Living people 20th-century New Zealand women artists 21st-century New Zealand women artists New Zealand Māori artists People from Wellington City Ngāpuhi people Ngāi Tahu people Otago Polytechnic alumni New Zealand contemporary artists

Education

Career

Major exhibitions

Personal life

Further reading

References