Regan Balzer (Te Arawa, Ngāti Ranginui) has developed their practice from cultural iconography painted with a combination of layers and styles. Regan has exhibited extensively around Aotearoa and overseas. In 2011, Regan completed a Masters in Māori Visual Arts at Te Pūtahi-ā-Toi, Massey University, Palmerston North (NZ), graduating with honours. This residencey is a partnership between Te Whare Hēra and Mana Moana.
Regan Balzer developed a body of paintings during her five-week residencey for the exhibition Taonga Tuku. For the two weeks leading up to opening of this show, Regan Balzer live streamed daily from the Te Whare Hēra studio – an interactive installation developed. The works in this show respond to the notion of Taonga Tuku, or cultural treasures that have a shared value amongst a group of people or passed down through generations. Regan’s paintings celebrate the value and the mauri or life force that exists within tangible forms and their ability to hold cultural knowledge and depict narratives.
