Kelcy Taratoa

Name
Kelcy Taratoa
Iwi/Ethnicity
Ngāi Te Rangi/Māori
Ngāti Ranginui/Māori
Ngāti Raukawa/Māori
Date of birth
1972
Gender
Male
Biography
Kelcy Taratoa grew up in Taitoko/Levin and Ngāmotu/New Plymouth. In 1990, he undertook trade training in painting and decorating; in 1998, he gained a Certificate in Art and Design from the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in Te Papa-i-Oea/Palmerston North and graduated from Massey University in 2005 with a Master of Māori Visual Arts.

His practice – incorporating comic-book superhero characters, overexposed graphics of urban settings, hyperreal colours and immaculate finishes – engages with alienation and ethnic disparity, exploring the physical, tangible nature of life against virtual and alternative realities. The outcomes are highly political and deeply personal works looking at privacy issues, environmental threats, popular culture, and technology.