“He taonga tuku iho koe…

    Aronga Toi: Kaituhi Iwi: Ngati Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tuhoe, Te Āti-Haunui-a-Pāpārangi Akoranga: Natasha Keating is a multimedia visual artist from Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Tūhoe and Te Āti-Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. She has exhibited throughout Aotearoa, and internationally at the Beijing Biennale in 2019. Natasha is a registered Te Ara Whakarakei artist for Toi Iho, ensuring the integrity of authenticity and ethical sourcing of Māori art is maintained at a global standard. Kaupapa: Natasha’s practice focuses on Māori wahine portraiture as an act of reclamation against the historical cultural misappropriation in the exploitation of Wāhine Māori from the European lens. Her works are often painted with wood stain and oil pencil on native, recycled timber as a nod to the mass deforestation that followed colonization. At the core of Natasha’s works, she provides an inside perspective of who we are as Wahine Māori and seeks to further amplify the voice of Wahine Māori in maintaining the portrayal of our stories with integrity. At the focal point, Natasha’s approach considers the well-being and connection amongst all indigenous peoples in focusing on the importance of indigenous stories being voiced by indigenous peoples for indigenous peoples.