Biography

Kahurangiariki Smith produces artwork driven by her interest in her Māori heritage and the stories of her ancestors. Her work examines the intersection of traditional perspectives and contemporary media by engaging with digital formats and online art such as GIFs and video games. The artist believes that within the tension between traditional heritage and digital media, there is vast potential for the transmission of Indigenous voices and experiences. Much of her work addresses the history of colonisation, the reclamation of Indigenous knowledge and the present-day, lived consequences of historical events in New Zealand. With a focus on seeing more Indigenous art in the world, Smith’s multimedia practice abides by a tikanga, or protocol, which asserts that any artwork produced must adhere to Māori values, such as the importance of te reo (language), whenua (land) and whānau (extended family)

Her work has been exhibited in a number of exhibitions, including Māori Moving Image ki Te Puna Waiwhetū, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Christchurch (2022); Toitū te Moana, Tautai, Auckland (2022); The Performance Arcade, Wellington (2021); Toko koi i te pō, St Paul St Gallery AUT, Auckland (2020); E Hina e! E Hine e!, Waikato Museum, Hamilton (2019); Two Oceans at Once, The Physics Room, Christchurch (2019); Moana Don't Cry, Te Tuhi, Auckland (2019); Taumanu, DEMO, Auckland (2019); MāoriGrl, Depot Artspace, Auckland (2018)

Smith received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in Auckland (2018).

Smith was born in 1996 in Kirikiriroa, Aotearoa, New Zealand, where she continues to live and work.

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