Visual artists

Suzanne Tamaki (Maniapoto, Tuhoe, Te Arawa) is a fibre artist with the label Native Sista. She creates body adornment, costumes and jewellery inspired by legends and mythical creatures in the Pacific, as well as traditional Maori and indigenous costuming throughout the world. Wahine-toa feature prominently in her work, as she uses fashion to agitate discussions about indigenous issues in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Suzanne was one of the founding members of the Pacific Sisters fashion collective in the mid 90s participating in various multimedia fashion shows including: 12th Sydney Biennale and the South Pacific Festival of the Arts in Samoa, Palau and Pagopago.

Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand and the Pacific including: Objectspace, City Gallery Wellington, Pataka Museum of Arts and History, Dowse Museum, Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum of New Zealand, Belau Museum and Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology,UK.

Examples of her work can be found in the collections of:

1998 ‘21st Century Cyber Sister’ Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum of New Zealand

2000 ‘Bi-cultural Rap’ Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum of New Zealand

2004 ‘Burning Desire Breast Plate’ Dowse Museum, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

2005 ‘Love You Longtime Burning Desire Breast Plate and ‘G-String’ University of Cambridge Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, England

2008 ‘Manu Wahine’ British Museum, England

Jewellery available at: Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, Pataka Museum, cnr Paramoa and Norrie St, Porirua, Iwi Gallery, Tory St, Wellington, The Poi Room, Newmarket, Auckland and Beachcombers, Rarotonga