'Love, land, lineage' an upcoming solo exhibition

I am both nervous and excited about my upcoming solo exhibition that I am currently working on in Porirua, Wellington.

’Love, land, lineage’ will be my most significant solo project to date and is scheduled to open in 2025 in Wellington CBD. I will release more information in due course.

Thank you for buying my #rongoātoi original paintings

Thank you to the wonderful people that recently purchased these original paintings from me.

All of my paintings are infused with aroha and healing intention, and fuse wai (water), rā (reflective light), color therapy, and ancient symbolism.

I am currently on the look out for new GALLERIES to exhibit and sell my new paintings for me, in different locations around the world. Email me on taryn.teuira@gmail.com.

Also check out the ‘ANGEL’ limited edition fine art prints available HERE.

‘HOPE FOR A GENERATION’ by Taryn Beri. Acrylic, ink, glitter and gloss on canvas. NOW SOLD.

‘NATURAL HARMONY’ by Taryn Beri. Acrylic, ink, gold leaf, glitter, lapis lazuli and gloss on canvas. 20cm by 20cm. NOW SOLD.

Detail of ‘NATURAL HARMONY’ now SOLD.

Detail of ‘NATURAL HARMONY’ now SOLD.

‘AROHA ATU AROHA MAI’ (still available) and ‘NATURAL HARMONY’ both 20cm by 20cm.

New paintings now showing at Toi Matarau Gallery in Ōtaki, New Zealand

I am pleased to now have a collection of my new paintings now available at Toi Matarau Gallery (Māoriland Hub) in Ōtaki.

Now that I am painting a lot, I am on the lookout for galleries in different locations to exhibit and sell my work.

I am really loving the organic round form and i’m currently experimenting with different canvas shapes.

Showing at Toi Matarau Gallery, Ōtaki, New Zealand.

Detail of ‘Poly Power’. SOLD.

Showing at Toi Matarau Gallery, Ōtaki, New Zealand.

‘Poly Power’ for sale at Toi Matarau Gallery, Māoriland Hub, Ōtaki, New Zealand. Now SOLD.

‘He Ao Hou II’ now SOLD.

‘A new dawn’ now SOLD.

A Māori Art Salon with 3 female moko artists in Ōtaki

On 21st March we had an awesome intimate Art Salon event at Ōtaki Beach at May 15 Tattoo Studio.

I was thrilled to collaborate with two of my besties, amazing artists Lorna Tawhiti and Pip Hartley.

We had artist talks, Q + A, a live music and poetry performance, a pop up art exhibition, snacks and drinks and it was fun evening!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT PURCHASED TICKETS, CAME ALONG, ASKED QUESTIONS AND JOINED US AT THIS SPECIAL EVENT.

This Māori Art Salon was in association with Karanga Ink, May 15 Tattoo and Toi Tangata International Māori Art Gallery.

UPCOMING COLLABORATIVE ART SALON DESTINATIONS INCLUDE LONDON IN AUGUST AND MANDURAH, PERTH IN DECEMBER 2019.

New original paintings now available: my meditation, my color therapy, my happy place

It has long been one of my goals to get back into painting and I am thrilled to have begun this journey of reconnecting with PAINT and COLOUR over the past four or so years.

Before I was a moko artist, I was a painter!

I loved my time at Toihoukura Māori Art School in Gisborne during 2008 where I learned a lot about painting and Māori design.

I also use and apply a lot of what I learned from my moko mentor, whom I studied with for three years (2009 - 2011), in my painting practice.

I now have several original paintings available for purchase in a range of different sizes and prices.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HAS BOUGHT ONE OF MY ORIGINAL PAINTINGS SO FAR, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TAUTOKO AND SUPPORT!

Arohanui xx
Taryn

My recent trip to Mo'orea, French Polynesia, to attend the Traditional Tatau Festival 2018

I recently traveled to Tahiti and Mo’orea with a group of 30 other Māori artists and cultural practitioners from Aotearoa, New Zealand. I was thrilled to be invited and to work alongside so many amazing artists. We had an amazing time and the local manaakitanga was beautiful, I was so grateful to meet and connect with so many locals.

I love the local people and whenua and am looking to returning to French Polynesia in future.

I was super inspired by the Tahitian style of tattooing that I saw there, and I was so impressed by so many of the local artists who do brilliant work.

'Puanga Kai Rau' a group exhibition opening at The Māoriland Hub in Ōtaki on 10th July

I am excited to be a part of a collaborative group Māori art exhibition opening at The Māoriland Hub on Tuesday 10th July at 5.30PM in Ōtaki.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this exhibition and its calendar of special events.

The 'Māori Modern' exhibition opening recently in Perth, Western Australia

On Saturday 6th January the 'Māori Modern' exhibition opened in Perth, featuring the work of ten different Māori artists including myself. All of the tickets for this exhibition opening sold out and I was happy to perform some of my spoken word poetry at the opening event too.

The exhibition is showing until 10th February 2018 and viewing is by appointment, please contact The Sound Temple venue directly if you wish to arrange a time to view this exhibition.

Many of the works shown in these photos are also available to purchase online here.

2017 art calendars SOLD OUT, THANK YOU!

Thanks to everyone that purchased a 2017 calendar! They are now all sold out. Mauriora!

The opening of the 'Hine Raumati' exhibition by the Toi Wāhine Collective at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua, Wellington

This Māori girl went to New York for the first time...

It was a three part trip - my partner, taonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh had a performance at The Lincoln Center to attend, I did a guest spot tattooing at NY Adorned, and I took over a capsule collection of art work to be exhibited at Ora Ny Gallery by the Toi Wāhine Collective. Phew it was an amazing whirlwind two trip and New York was so good to us, and I am so grateful to all of the inspiring conscious people we met over there!

Our Toi Wāhine Collective two day pop up shop at Ora Ny Gallery was off the hook!

I was very grateful to have esteemed contemporary Māori dancers Jack Grey, Louise Potiki Bryant, members of Altamira Dance Crew and their indigenous friends come and perform at our pop up shop on the final evening at the gallery.

Very grateful to New Zealand musicians Andrew White, Paddy Free of Pitch Black and Jerome Kavanagh for performing live in the gallery on both evenings at our pop up shop.

With my Navajo friend Precious at Ny Adorned after tattooing her.

Resin jewelry by Evelyn Ross that was part of the capsule collection I took to New York.

Hanging outside Ora Ny Gallery with New Zealand Photographer Nichola Clark and friend.

Moko completed for a Taranaki born client at Ny Adorned.

Dressed up and ready to roll out for one of my first nights in New York City!

With all of the amazing dancers that graced the exhibition space on the final evening of our pop up shop exhibition.

Kirituhi completed for an African-American woman at Ny Adorned.

The performance that my partner was invited to be a part of at The Lincoln Center was pretty awe inspiring!

I buzzed out on how many psychic shops were in NYC - they seemed to be as common as dairies are in New Zealand!

Taaniko work by Kui Topia that was part of the Toi Wāhine Collective pop up shop.

With New York based Māori gallerist John Royal and his daughter.

Kirituhi for my new friend Grace from Trinidad and Tobago at Ny Adorned.

Tattooing an American born Māori man at NY Adorned.

With new friends Keke and Giarna Te Kanawa, gallerist of Ora Ny Gallery.

Kirituhi at Ny Adorned for a Columbian woman.

Being a poser in the back of a New York yellow cab.

At Ora Ny Gallery.

With a Hawaiian Māoli woman that I met at the gallery, it was so great meeting so many Polynesians from all over in New York.

Outside Ny Adorned.

At the after party of The Lincoln Center performance, 'Calling All Dawns'.

With my new friends Tiff and Sammay at Ora Ny Gallery.

So awesome getting to meet indigenous First Nations performer, Supaman at The Shrine in Harlem.

A projected image of contemporary Māori jeweler, Keri-Mei Zagrobelna on the wall of Ora Ny Gallery as part of a moving portraits film installation by Pikihuia Haenga that was part of our pop up shop exhibition. 

My New York family on the trip.

Partay time at the gallery once all the work was finished.

Posey posers.

With new friends Amy and Cristina at the gallery.

A selection of the capsule collection by Toi Wāhine Collective at Ora Ny Gallery.

With my new friend Sammay, Filipino dancer.

Moko completed for an American born Māori man at Ny Adorned.

New York, New York! We're coming for you!

I am beyond excited about taking a selection of art works by the Toi Wāhine Collective to ORA NY GALLERY in NEW YORK CITY very soon! Included in the capsule collection will be original paperworks, open and limited edition art prints, contemporary taonga, jewelry and a film installation.

Special guest friends of the Toi Wāhine Collective will also be performing in the gallery space on both evenings. If you have friends and whānau in New York, please share this panui with them, and help us share some of our art with the world.

Thank you!

Notebooks all sold out

Thanks to everyone that bought one of these notebooks. They are now all sold out for now.

Exhibition on now at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae

A series of my glitter paintings is currently on show at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae, showing until 14th February 2016. If you're in the area, go and check it out! 

Sold out limited edition art prints: kotahitanga set of two

Big thank you to everyone that purchased a set of my kotahitanga art prints titled 'the world is one family' and 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam'. These were a limited edition run of 20 per design which I released in October 2015. I really appreciate the support of everyone that bought some! Thank you so much and I do hope you enjoy hanging them in your home or office!

Mauriora,
Taryn Beri

Sold out art prints: wahine toa limited edition of 45

I am very pleased that these limited edition art prints have now all sold out! Big thank you to everyone that purchased one, I really value your support!

Mauriora!
Taryn

"A māreikura, an angel, a protector, an icon, a higher self, a vision, a messenger being, a friend, a reflection, a woman of light and strength, a reminder, a role model, an alter ego, a sister, a mother, a daughter, a grandmother, a guardian, an aunty, an archetype to aspire to be like, a modern day warrior, a personification of the divine feminine - this is what the 'Wahine Toa' art print speaks to and represents."

Toi Wāhine 2015: a pop up exhibition of 7 female artists coming soon to Porirua!

Sian Montgomery-Neutze, Rangimarie Sophie Jolley, Taryn Beri, Miriama Grace-Smith, Xoe Hall, and Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek at our first wānanga together in preparation for the exhibition. Our jewellery artist Keri-Mei Zagrobelna was in Europe when we took this photo but she will be back in December in time for our exhibition opening!

Due to open on 2nd December in Hartham Place, Porirua, this exhibition is set to be a diverse, unpredictable and exciting mix of seven young Māori female artists. Included in Toi Wāhine 2015 are female painters, moko artists, a writer, a jewellery designer and a film maker, all with some kind of affiliation to and affection for Porirua City.

The idea was born from seeing a call for proposals that was put out by Letting Space's service Urban Dream Brokerage, a radical and conscious organisation that makes use of empty and vacant shop spaces, transforming them for a short time into living, breathing, useful community based spaces.

Our exhibition will open on Wednesday 2nd December and run through till Tuesday 22nd December (please mark it in your calendars). Located under the canopies in Porirua by where childrens clothing store 'TnT' used to be! Details of the official opening event are still to come, so if you are interested then please stay posted (join my mailing list).

An exciting programme of events is currently being developed by our group, with each individual artist running a workshop for the public to come along and participate in, learn, share and contribute. Live tā moko will also be happening in the exhibition space throughout the three week period, including moko kauae.

Contributing artists in Toi Wāhine 2015 are:

Xoe Hall (muralist, glitterist and painter)
Sian Montgomery-Neutze (multimedia artist, painter and moko artist)
Miriama Grace-Smith (multimedia artist and fashion designer)
Keri-Mei Zagrobelna (jewellery artist)
Rangimarie Sophie Jolley (writer)
Taryn Beri (multimedia artist, painter and moko artist)
Pikihuia Haenga-Carkeek (experimental film maker)

So far our group has had two wānanga, sharing ideas and making art together, with more wānanga scheduled to come in the lead up to the opening of the exhibition.

Sian Montgomery-Neutze at our first wānanga toi.

Miriama Grace-Smith at our first wānanga toi.

Rangimarie Sophie Jolley at our first wānanga toi.

Xoe Hall at our first wānanga toi.

We will have interactive installations, paintings and prints for sale, community workshops, live tā moko happening onsite and lots of other fun and awesome things happening over the three weeks - more details to come.

I hope you can make it along to check it out, participate and support the kaupapa!

Mauriora,
Taryn Beri

Sold out art prints! Thanks to you guys!

Thank you to everyone that has been purchasing my art prints so far, I really appreciate your support and I love the idea of my art going all around the world and into peoples homes and personal lives. Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa!

These 'Te Waipounamu' prints were a limited edition run of 10 and they are now all sold out.

Progress shot of 'Te Waipounamu' A3 drawing.

Progress shot of 'Te Waipounamu' A3 drawing.

My 'Ūkaipō' pink art prints as shown below were a limited edition run of 20 and they are now all sold out too.

$10NZD from every one of these art prints was donated to Kai4Kids, a New Zealand charity that provides food to schools in low decile areas. Together we donated $200NZD to this great kaupapa - thank you, thank you, thank you.

My latest art print to sell out was an A4 limited edition run of 20 again, called 'Of course i'm a feminist' as shown below. Thanks to everyone that bought one!

I am currently working on some more new limited edition art print designs (they are so much fun) so keep an eye out! Thanks again for buying my art, I am so grateful!

My trip to Melbourne tattooing at Tatt Datt in Fitzroy was awesome

My recent trip to Melbourne was fantastic and I enjoyed catching up with old and new clients and friends. Thank you to everyone that came to see me and made my trip so much fun! I love the Fitzroy area and had a great time tattooing at Tatt Datt on Johnston Street.

Here are a few of my favourite places and spaces to visit in Melbourne:

Morrocan Soup Bar on St Georges Road (I recommend ordering the banquet): Best kai EVER!
Polly's Cocktail Bar on Brunswick Street: Best absinthe, cocktails, decor, and service EVER!
National Gallery of Victoria: Just go there and see for yourself.
St Kilda Sea Baths: Salt water pool, hot pool and an excellent steam room, oh yes.
North Yoga: My new fav yoga studio in North Fitzroy, worth a visit if you're into yoga.
Perfect Potion on Brunswick Street: The most divine oils, herbal potions, skincare, chakra balancing balm, aromatic mists and the like. Gorgeous.

Whilst in Melbourne I got to go check out an awesome cultural documentary called 'Escape to St Croix' about Rastafarianism and reggae culture in St Croix of the Virgin Islands. If you're into reggae, permaculture, sustainable living, rasta culture, gardening, vegetarianism - I totes recommend you watch this documentary.

Without further adieu, here are some flicks of my trip.

Ngā mihi,
Taryn

This was one of my favourite pieces of the trip, I always love working on thighs.

Kirituhi for a very nice man on his calf.

Working shot taken by my friend and client, photographer Aaron Stevenson.

Outside the studio. I really enjoyed working here. Big thanks to my host!

With an awesome client in the studio.

Working on this calf piece.

Being a poser outside the studio.

Taking tā moko tattooing into fine art galleries

Last weekend I attended the opening of 'He Toi Reikorangi: Te Ātiawa artists celebrate Matariki' at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae, on the Kapiti Coast of the Wellington region (New Zealand). It was super exciting and hundrends of people showed up to celebrate and show their support for the exhibition, including some of the best Māori artists in the world. For the duration of the opening weekend, Mahara Gallery invited myself, Rangi Kipa and Mitchell Hughes to showcase our tā moko expertise.

The fact that this exhibition opening was in Waikanae was personally significant to me, because my grandmother spent a lot of her life growing up in Waikanae, and her grandfather Wi Parata was a well known leader of the area and one of the biggest landowners - in fact Waikanae was once known as 'Parata Town'.

Iwi exhibitions are one of my favorite types of exhibitions because they reinforce and strengthen the whakapapa/genealogical bonds between the artists and the people of the iwi they belong to. Iwi exhibitions are a positive and uplifting community kaupapa that bring people together, showcasing the artistic excellence and skills amongst that particular tribe - I think that in itself, is an inspiring and empowering outcome.

A section of the moko peha that I worked on at Mahara Gallery during the exhibition opening weekend.

My eight year old apprentice, Ria Te Uira, stretching skin at Mahara Gallery.

My niece Ria Te Uira is a great little apprentice.

One of the reasons that I love to bring tā moko into art galleries is that it exposes and opens up the art form and cultural practice, to an entirely different audience, an audience that may not ever have the chance to see tā moko happening in real life, in any other situation. The potential for engagement with the public is great in an art gallery setting, and I enjoy answering the many and varied questions that people come up with. Having tā moko artists working in an art gallery space is magnetic, cutting edge, and a rare opportunity for gallery viewers to witness the tā moko process.

Another reason that I enjoy bringing tā moko into art gallery (and museum) settings is because I believe that all of our Māori art forms are inter-related and connected. Our various different art forms are at their strongest when put together and combined, contrasted against each other, complimenting one another, feeding into, informing and in conversation with one another. A decorated wharenui is a prime example of this, as is kapa haka where you see many of our art forms in relationship together at once.

The idea of inter-related art forms is part of the reason why I love collaborating and working alongside other artists, that use different mediums to me. It is also why I am currently enjoying the use of taonga puoro by Jerome Kavanagh, to compliment my tā moko process.

Tohunga tā moko, Rangi Kipa was also tattooing at Mahara Gallery for the exhibition opening weekend, as was moko artist Mitchell Hughes.

An outstanding modern work by master artist, Rangi Kipa.

Inspiring tukutuku work in the exhibition by my whanaunga, expert weaver Kohai Grace.

Photographic portraits in the exhibition featuring Te Ātiawa women and their moko kauae, by Heloise Bergman.

Whakairo in the exhibition by my whanaunga, Rakairoa Hori.

Painting in the exhibition by one of my favorite contemporary Māori painters, Darcy Nicholas.

Outstanding hue by expert weaver, Veranoa Hetet.

I love this work by Tracey Morgan using seaweed and tāniko.

I have two prints on show in the exhibition, 'Manu Ariki' and 'Hine Ariki'. The kete shown in the foreground are by Snooks Forster.

My painting 'Te Āhuru Mōwai' currently at Mahara Gallery. This painting refers to a 'cosy haven' inside the womb of a woman, the home of a baby growing, the amniotic fluid and the dna / ancestral material that makes up the baby and who the baby is / will become.

The photos of art work shown in this article are just a snapshot of the full exhibition and there are many more awesome and innovative works on show until 12th July 2015, so go and see for yourself!