Michel Tuffery is an acclaimed printmaker, painter and sculptor of Samoan, Rarotongan and Ma’ohi Tahitian, Cook Island and English heritage.

Tuffery’s work is shaped by his research and encounters with his Polynesian heritage, using objects, motifs and patterns of Pacific Island art forms along with Palagi imagery, to create a ‘cross-cultural interaction with art and life’. A passionate educator, Tuffery works with many different peoples and places, to empower communities and connect across environmental, community, cultural and art historical divides.

Michel Tuffery (born 1966) graduated in 1989 with a Diploma in Fine Arts (Hons) from the School of Fine Arts, Otago Polytechnic and has made a major contribution to New Zealand art. His work features in major public and private collections throughout the world. He has undertaken research and community residencies throughout the USA, Europe, UK, India, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

His iconic sculptures include Pisupo lua afe (Corned beef 2000) 1994, a bull constructed from recycled corned-beef tins, held in Te Papa’s Collection and the public art sculpture Nga kina at Kumutoto Wharf, Wellington waterfront. Michel Tuffery was made a Member of the New Zealand Merit of Order in 2008, and awarded the Contemporary Pacific Art Award in 2010. He lives and works in Wellington.