Michel Tuffery


Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery is a New Zealand artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent. He is one of New Zealand's most well known artists and his work is held in many art collections in New Zealand and around the world.

Early life

His mother is Samoan Bula Tuffery and his biological father was Cook Island Tahitian. His step father was Denis Tuffery, of European descent.
He attended Newlands College in Wellington, and has a Diploma in Fine Arts from the School of Fine Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
He lives and works in Wellington.

Career

One of his distinctive sculptures from 1994 is the life-sized work, entitled Pisupo Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000), which was constructed from flattened and riveted re-cycled corned beef tins. His work is shaped by his research into, and encounters with his Polynesian heritage while making use of Māori design. Many of his works explore colonialism and people's treatment of the environment. Renowned as a printmaker, painter and sculptor, Tuffery has gained national and international recognition, and has made a major contribution to New Zealand art.
In 1998, Ian George curated Paringa Ou, the first major exhibition of contemporary art by Cook Island artists residing in New Zealand featuring artists such as Ani O'Neill, Sylvia Marsters, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Michel Tuffery, Jim Vivieaere, Ian George, and Kay George, the exhibition travelled to the National Museum in Fiji, Cook Islands National Museum, as well as Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. The exhibition was sponsored by the New Zealand High Commission.
In 2010, Tuffery was part of the exhibition MANUIA with Kay George, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Jerome Sheddon, and Michael Tavioni, in American Indian Community House in New York. The exhibition was curated by Ben Bergman and was opened by former New Zealand Prime Minister, and former UNDP Programme Administrator Helen Clark.
In 2012, Tuffery returned to New York as part of VOLTA New York with a solo exhibition with BCA Gallery.

Awards

He was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to art, in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours. In 2010 he was awarded the Contemporary Pacific Art Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifka Awards, while in 2020 he received the Senior Pacific Artist Award from the same organisation.

List of works and exhibitions

Tuffery has exhibited extensively in New Zealand and internationally.