Artist Statement: Michel Tuffery is a multi-media artist who lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand. Tuffery has established himself as a diverse and critical creative practitioner within contemporary New Zealand (Aotearoa) and Pacific Island art. Visibility has been achieved through exhibitions, awards, commissions and offshore residencies in North Western Europe, the Pacific Rim and it's Basin. Tuffery's interest in the history of Polynesia and the colonial encounters of its people have been a rich source for his drawings, prints, paintings, sculptures and time based installations. Artist Bio: Year and place of Birth: 1966. Wellington, New Zealand Lives and works: Wellington, New Zealand Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2007 Ngaro – Blowfly, The Urban Botanist, Lane Gallery, N.Z First Contact, Pataka Museum & Art Gallery, Porirua, N.Z 2006 Tangaroa Sanctuary, Salamander Gallery, Christchurch 2005 E Taingauru Ma Rima Etu, Beachcomber Gallery, Cook Islands O le Povi Pusa Ma’ataua, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Cookies Portraits, The Artists Room, Dunedin, N.Z 2004 Moana Malosi, Asia Society, New York, USA 2003 Animated Effigy, Mackay Art Gallery, North Queensland, Australia 2002 Mata Mata, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, N.Z Selected Group Exhibitions: 2008 Samoa Contemporary, Pataka, Porirua, N.Z Lines in the Sand, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, NSW Australia Flat White, Black Pearl, Te Karanga Gallery, Auckland, N.Z 2007 Across Oceans and Time, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts,Taiwan, R.O.C Tangata o le Moana, Museum of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa, N.Z Dateline, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Germany News From Islands, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Australia 2006 Pasifika Styles, Cambridge University, England 2005 Landscapes & Beyond, Contemporary Gallery, Hong Kong 2004 Paradise Now, Asia Society, New York, USA Selected Publications: Pacific Art Niu Sila, S Mallon & P F Pereira, Te Papa Press Samoan Art& Artists, S Mallon, Craig Potton Publishers