| Saffronn Te Ratana | |
| Nationality: | New Zealand |
| Education: | Māori Visual Arts programme Toioho Ki Apiti at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University |
| Notable Works: | 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.
Her mixed media work PW 1 (Tiki remix) is included in Te Papa's collections.[1] As part of the 2013 Auckland Triennial, her work was acquired by the Auckland Art Gallery.[2]
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.[3] [4] Following graduation she has remained involved with the university including as a tutor and lecturer in Māori visual arts.[5]
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).
Considered a leading contemporary Māori 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.[7] 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.
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[8] 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.[9] She exhibited alongside fellow Māori artists in the exhibition Whakarongo at the Tauranga Art Gallery.[10] In 2014, she was part of the exhibition Five Māori Painters alongside Robyn Kahukiwa, Kura Te Waru Rewiri, Emily Karaka, and Star Gossage.[11] Te Ratana's work in this exhibition reflected her experimental style by taking a three-dimensional approach to painting.[12] She has also exhibited at the Thermostat Art Gallery[13] and her work was included in the touring exhibition E Tū Ake: Standing Strong,[14] with the exhibition visiting international venues including Québec, Paris, and Mexico City.[15]
Te Ratana is Māori descent, of the Ngāi Tuhoe tribe. She currently lives and works in Palmerston North.[16]
Artist files for Te Ratana are held at:
Also see: