Contemporary Māori artist Darcy Nicholas’ practice encompasses painting, printmaking and sculpture. He is a curator, writer, director and commentator on Māori issues. Nicholas’ use of colour is a prominent feature of his artistic practice. He suggests “colour is a universal form of communication, it’s colour that seduces you and pulls you into the textural quality of the painting and its subject”.

Darcy Nicholas (born 1945, Kahui Maunga, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Tangahoe, Tauranga Moana and Ngāti Haua) has been actively involved in the contemporary Māori art movement since the late 1960’s. He opened his own art gallery in Lower Hutt in 1975. In 1981, Nicholas became the director of the Wellington Arts Centre. In 1998, Nicholas led the development of Pataka Art + Museum. He stepped down from his dual roles as Director of Pataka, and Porirua City Council’s Community Services General Manager in 2012. He currently resides in Lower Hutt.