Rachael Rakena

[1] Rakena received a Diploma in Fine Arts at Otago Polytechnic in 1992 and in 1995 obtained a degree in Māori Studies.

She received a master's degree in 2003 with a dissertation titled Toi rerehiko which explored digital and electronic technologies from a Maori perspective.

Rakena uses the term 'toi rerehiko' to describe her practice, meaning ‘art that employs electricity, movement and light’.

She has worked with the sculptor Brett Graham, the soundscape artist Keri Whaitiri, and dancers and choreographers such as Louise Potiki Bryant, Maaka Pepene, Justine Hohaia and Corinna Hunzika, all from the Atamira Dance Company.

Her work was also included in Pasifika Styles at Cambridge University, and in Dateline: Contemporary Art from the Pacific at Neuer Berliner Kunstverien.