Rachael Rakena

Education

Rakena received a Diploma in Fine Arts at Otago Polytechnic 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, the soundscape artist Keri Whaitiri, and dancers and choreographers such as Louise Potiki Bryant, Maaka Pepene, Justine Hohaia and Corinna Hunzika, all from the Atamaira Dance Collective.

While at the University of Otago, Rekana was involved in the community group Kai Tahu Whanau ki Araiteuru, which was committed to the revitalisation of Ngai Tahu 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; in 2007 their collaborative work Aniwaniwa was included at the collateral events at the Venice Biennale. Her work was also included in Pasifika Styles at Cambridge University, and in Dateline: Contemporary Art from the Pacific at Neuer Berliner Kunstverien.