Saffronn Te Ratana
Saffronn Te Ratana (born 1975) is a visual artist of Māori (Ngāi Tuhoe) descent, born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Te Ratana went to Palmerston Intermediate Normal School, followed by Palmerston North Girls’ High School. Her work "PW 1 (Tiki remix)" is included in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewea collections and as part of the 2013 Auckland Triennial celebrations, her work was acquired by the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Education. Te Ratana graduated from the Māori Visual Arts programme Toioho Ki Apiti at Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey  University. Following graduation she has remained involved with the university including as a tutor and lecturer in Māori visual arts. 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. 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. 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 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. She exhibited alongside fellow Māori artists in the exhibition "Whakarongo" at the Tauranga Art Gallery. In 2014, she was part of the exhibition "Five Māori Painters" alongside Robyn Kahukiwa, Kura Te Waru Rewiri, Emily Karaka, and Star Gossage. Te Ratana's work in this exhibition reflected her experimental style by taking a three-dimensional approach to painting. She has also exhibited at the Thermostat Art Gallery and her work was included in the touring exhibition "E Tū Ake: Standing Strong", with the  exhibition visiting international venues including Québec, Paris, and Mexico City. Personal life. She currently lives and works in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Further reading. Artist files for Te Ratana are held at: Also see: