Ngatai Taepa

Name
Ngatai Taepa
Iwi/Ethnicity
Ngāti Whakaue (Te Arawa)/Ngāti Whakaue/Māori
Te Āti Awa/Māori
Date of birth
1975
Place of birth
Upper Hutt/Wellington (region)/New Zealand
Nationality
New Zealander
Biography
Ngataiharuru Taepa is a third-generation contemporary Māori artist. He graduated from Massey University’s Toioho ki Āpiti with a Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts in 2000 and a Masters in 2003.

Taepa explores the elegance of kōwhaiwhai using new materials and technology to create three-dimensional artworks that extend upon the visual vocabulary of the tradition, such as using the koru, pītau, koiri and mangōpare patterns and forms.