Rosabel Tan
Rosabel Tan is a New Zealand writer, strategist and creative producer of Peranakan Chinese descent. She advocates for the arts in New Zealand, specifically highlighting the work of Asian diaspora artists. Tan's key roles include being a director of Satellites and a founding editor of Pantograph Punch.
Life and career
Tan moved to New Zealand at the age of eight. She used drama and creative arts as a vehicle for self-expression and connection with others.Later she completed a Master of Arts in Psychology with the University of Auckland, and a Master of Arts with distinction in Creative Writing through the International Institute of Modern Letters Writing Programme at Victoria University of Wellington. As a University of Auckland Liggins Institute Research Assistant, she had two psychology papers published in the academic journals Personal Relationships and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Additionally in 2016 she worked as a Senior Research Analyst at Morris Hargreaves McIntyre to expand her knowledge on communication between the arts sector and their audiences.
Tan was also a recipient of the Lancewood/Horoeka Reading Grant in 2015, a summer programme where she strengthened skills surrounding analysis of works and providing critiques. However she first fed her passion for writing in 2009 as theatre and arts editor for the University of Auckland's student magazine, Cracuum. She then became a founding editor of Pantograph Punch arts and culture journal in late 2010, alongside Matt Harnett and Joe Nunweek, until approximately 2016. During her time at Pantograph Punch she held a range of roles including director from 2010 - 2019, a board member from 2013 - 2024, and Mema Poari Secretary from 2017-2024.
Tan has collaborated with other creatives to produce installations, written publications, panel discussions, and events, as well as exhibiting and publishing her own solo works. Her level of engagement has seen her in the following roles: contributing editor at Paperboy in 2018, a Talks programmer for Auckland Arts Festival from 2019 - 2020, a guest judge in residency as Studio One Toi Tū in 2021, Curator Asia for the Auckland Writers Festival in 2022, a co-programmer for Verb Festival, and a programme manager for The Next Page. Tan has contributed her time to multiple governance groups including Pantograph Punch, Silo Theatre, The Public Art Advisory Panel for Auckland Council, and Te Rōpū Mana Toi Creative New Zealand Advocacy Advisory.
She is a director of Satellites, an online platform advocating for and support emerging and established Aotearoa Asian artists.
Projects
Many of her projects have been presented at the Auckland Arts Festival, Te Papa Tongarewa, Taranaki Arts Festival, CubaDupa, and Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival.| Year | Project | Medium | Source |
| 2018 | The Claw | Playable claw machine installation in a shop | |
| 2020 | Maree Sheehan's Ōtairongo | Aural portraits of mana wāhine Māori | |
| 2021 | Hit Me Baby One More Rhyme | Poetry karaoke installation | |
| Harvest | Interactive ceramic installation | ||
| 2025 | An Inheritance | Installation by children of Greater Manchester collaborating with Andy Field, Beckie Darlington, and Rosabel Tan |
The Claw was curated by Tan and a team of artists including Hanna Shim, Adam Ben Dror, Michael McCabe, Amelia Murray, Angus Muir, Hayden Eastmond-Mein, Louis Olsen, Scott Satherley, Frith Walker/Panuku, Dawn Sacayan, and Helen Sheehan. The work was originally commissioned by Auckland Council for an empty storefront in Northcote, Auckland but its meaning evolved over time. It was later on show at Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru, from 16 March to 5 May 2019. Artist Michael McCabe described it as an interactive innovation that matched the changing landscape of the area and activated the space for passersby. In 2018 the exhibition was awarded Gold by the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards in the Spatial Exhibition and Temporary Structures category.
This theme of applying a youthful feel to a thought provoking installation is also seen in An Inheritance by Rosabel Tan, Andy Field, Beckie Darlington and over 500 Year 5 kids from Greater Manchester. The installation was presented at the Manchester Art Gallery for the Manchester International Festival 2025, and remained for viewing from 4 July to 2 November 2025. The exhibitions brings together the ideas of the younger generation on what 2125 could be like and how they wish to leave something behind for that future generation. The gallery states that this compilation of physical goods, written ideas and thoughts were all brought together and then put away at the end of the summer like a time capsule for the next 100 years. Additionally to ensure that the collection remains secure for that period of time a 'special ceremony' with city officials was held to sign on the matter.
Alongside her creative productions, her written works have been published in various magazines and media including Sport, Hue & Cry, 1972, Metro Mag, The Spinoff, and Tell You What: Great New Zealand Non-Fiction 2017.
| Date | Title | Site | Genre | Source |
| 13/10/10 | The New Zealand Story? | The Pantograph Punch | Article | |
| 2011 | Let's talk about us: Attachment, Relationship-focused disclosure, relationship quality | Personal Relationships | Research Paper | |
| 2011 | The costs and benefits of sexism: Resistance to influence during relationship conflict | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology | Research Paper | |
| 02/03/11-26/10/13 | Constantinople | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 2012 | The Souls They Saved | Hue & Cry Journal no. 6, p. 141-150 | Short story in issue 'An exercise in optimism' | |
| 08/03/12-01/12/12 | Richard Meros Salutes The Southern Man | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 17/03/12-07/04/12 | In The Next Room | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 20/03/12-24/03/12 | Little Histories Of The Life Ordinary | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 23/02/12-18/03/12 | Top Girls | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 18/04/12-02/03/13 | Mrs Van Gogh | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 30/05/12-10/06/12 | Copenhagen | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 28/06/12-22/07/12 | Black Confetti | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 10/08/12-01/09/12 | The Pride | Te Whare Tapere Tirohanga Hou Theatreview | Theatre Review | |
| 04/09/14 | Real Housewives, True Detectives, and the Purgatory in Between | The SpinOff | Review | |
| 29/10/14 | MacGyver's Tips for Answering the Tough Questions | The SpinOff | Interview | |
| 17/11/14 | Review: Pure and Deep | The Pantograph Punch | Review | |
| 17/12/14 | Inside Armageddon's Ice-Cream Eating Competition | The Pantograph Punch | Internet Histories | |
| 22/12/14 | Ten Plays We Loved in 2014: Auckland Edition | The Pantograph Punch | Performance | |
| 09/04/15 | The Critic in New Zealand | NZ Poetry Shelf | Essay | |
| 07/11/16 | The Pantograph Punch Relaunches | The Pantograph Punch | News | |
| 11/07/16 | Critic's Day: Duncan Greive wrote a horrible review of Open Souls. The band recorded a song about him. Years later, they talked it out | The SpinOff | Review | |
| 08/02/17 | Lee Mingwei on Creating Acts of Kindness | The Pantograph Punch | Profile | |
| 26/02/17 | Strange and Empty Plots: A Review of Spirit House | The Pantograph Punch | Performance review | |
| 20/09/20 | How to Feed a Hungry Ghost | City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi | Blog post | |
| 23/11/23 | New Mirrors: Strengthening Arts and Culture Media for Aotearoa New Zealand | Creative NZ | Report | |
| Nov 2023 | I've polished this anger and now it's a knife - A Conversation | Fine Print Magazine, Issue 33: Complicity | Article | |
| 06/03/24 | New Waves: Meeting the Growing Hunger for Asian Art in Aotearoa | Asia New Zealand Foundation | Report |
| Date | Title | Location | People | Source |
| 09/10/15 | Tell Them What You Think - Reviewing Workshop | Enjoy Contemporary Art Space | Rosabel Tan | |
| Feb-Apr 2016 | Intermission - 2016 Auckland Arts Festival podcast series | RNZ | Justin Gregory and Rosabel Tan | |
| 29/10/16-30/10/16 | Seen and Heard: Public Displays and Public Discourses a critical writing workshop covened by The Physics Room - Panel Discussion: Writing for a 'general' audience | The Physics Room Contemporary Art Space | Dr Lara Strongman, Anthony Byrt, Sally Blundell, Rosabel Tan | |
| 22/09/18 | Making Things Happen | AAAH2018 Symposium at Te Papa | Eric Ngan, Allan Xia, Lynda Chanwai-Earle, Rosabel Tan | |
| 02/05/18 | She Claims: Art Matters | Auckland Art Gallery | Julia Croft, Rosabel Tan | |
| 24/10/19 | Te Whāinga: A Culture Lab on Civility Workshops - At the bottom of every wishing well is a mother asking if you've had lunch | Silo Park, Auckland - Auckland Museum & Smithsonian Asia Pacific American Centre | Kerry Ann Lee, Rosabel Tan | |
| 09/11/19 | LitCrawl: Ways of Seeing | City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi | Sinead Gleeson, Vanessa Crofskey, Mary Macpherson, Megan Dunn, Rosabel Tan | |
| 07/08/22 | Rosabel Tan: We Can Build a New Utopia | Ngā Toi Advocacy Network Podcast | Rosabel Tan | |
| 11/10/22-23/12/22 | Rūbarū Digital Series: Ling Ma with Rosabel Tan | Verb Wellington | Ling Ma, Rosabel Tan | |
| 05/05/23 | Rosabel Tan explains the importance of a strong vision for the future | Creative New Zealand YouTube | Rosabel Tan | |
| 13/04/24 | On Being Chinese - The Panel | Auckland Art Gallery | Rosabel Tan, Bev Moon, Cindy Huang, Alice Canton | |
| 09/07/25 | MIF Artist Talk: An Inheritance | Festival Square, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester | Andy Field and Rosabel Tan speaking with Low Kee Hong |