Rachel Rakena

RACHEL RAKENA
BFA and PG Dip Arts

Toi Rerehiko: art that moves

Rachael Rakena is a successful digital artist, whose work has proved both culturally significant and ground-breaking on an international level.

Of Maori and Pakeha descent, her background means she draws inspiration from close family ties, combined with contemporary technology, to create richly-layered performative installations, and digital stills.

Now a lecturer at Massey University’s School of Maori Visual Arts, Rachael graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 2003, and has gone on to exhibit her work around the world including the 2006 Sydney, 2007 Venice and 2008 Busan Biennales.

“I felt fortunate to have studied at the School of Art because the quality of the programme was so high. The whole process of my Masters was quite rigorous. My research, written and practical work provided a solid foundation and reinforced my emerging career as an artist.

“My supervisors and the postgraduate coordinator also worked very hard to understand me. They had a broad knowledge base and offered a lot of moral and experiential support. This gave me a better appreciation of my own processes and ideas.

“The community of practitioners around the school meant the combined experience and knowledge available for problem solving was extensive.”
Residing in Dunedin for fourteen years, including the tenure of her Masters, Rachael says she loved living and studying in a city well known as a creative precinct for aspiring artists. “The city is vibrant, fresh and beautiful, and the community is active and engaging.”

Engagement is at the heart of Rachael’s work, drawing on inspiration from issues that affect her community and whanau. “I love working with people and developing ideas. I particularly like to collaborate with other artists because the outcome is always something I can’t fully anticipate or control.”

(Image is a still from “One man is an island”)