Numa MacKenzie

Numangatini Mackenzie was born in Canada a world away from his Cook Island homeland, it was this distance from his natural heritage that encouraged his interest in pacific culture, traditions and art styles. From 2009 he has made the pacific his home a move that has allowed him to develop a keen interest in many forms of art from graffiti to tatau (tattooing), woodblock printing and performance art. From his base in Auckland, New Zealand Numa has travelled extensively throughout the pacific visiting Fiji, Tahiti, the Cook Islands and more, on each of his visits he has collaborated with local artists to create street art that transforms 'forgotten' areas of villages into landmarks that attract attention. Numa MacKenzie has also become a well-known street artist within New Zealand contributing to street art festivals and working on commissions for local community groups, his murals can be found from Wellington to Auckland. Outdoor artworks by Numa draw inspiration from traditional pacific forms and motifs, always utilizing a palette of bold bright colours. The growing reputation of Mackenzie has seen him involved in a number of Pasifika art exhibitions and installations including heritage projects like the Pacific Collection Access Project co-curated with the Auckland Museum in 2016.