Mike Tavioni

Mike Tavioni (born 1947) is a Cook Islands artist and writer. A master carver, he has been described as a taonga (treasure).[1] His role in the pacific art community is recognised from New Zealand to Hawaii.[2]

Mike Tavioni in 2019

Tavioni was born on Rarotonga. He was educated at Tereora College, then at Northland College, Kaikohe and Massey University in New Zealand, graduating with a degree in Agriculture & Horticulture.[3] After working as a public servant in the Agriculture Department, he became a full-time artist.[3] In 2019 he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Auckland University of Technology.[4]

He has worked in a wide variety of mediums, including printing, painting, wood, stone, and bone, as well as traditional tattooing.[3] In 1975 he began printing t-shirts using wooden blocks.[5] He experimented with other mediums, but initially found it difficult to obtain tools and materials.[5] In 1996 he oversaw the creation of the Punanga Nui market.[6] In 2002 he published a poetry collection, Speak Your Truth.[7] His work is displayed at the Punanga Nui in Avarua and the University of the South Pacific campus.[8] In 2016 he was commissioned, alongside New Zealand-based artist Michel Tuffery, to create a carved wooden gateway for the RSA memorial cemetery to commemorate the centenary of Cook Islands participation in the First World War.[9]

Tavioni now runs a gallery and art school in Rarotonga,[10] where he teaches traditional vaka-making.[11]

Tavioni unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for the Unity party in the 1978 Cook Islands general election.[12] He later stood as a candidate for the Te Kura O Te ʻAu People's Movement in Avatiu–Ruatonga–Palmerston in the 2010 election.[13]

Images
  • Punanga Nui sculpture, 1998
  • Cook Islands RSA Memorial Gateway, 2017
  • Wood carving for NZ High Commission, 2019

References
  1. Anne Gibson (10 February 2017). "Pacific artist Michael Tuffery creating a memorial to Rarotonga's 'Forgotten 43'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  2. ""Native of 2020″ Art Show in Cook Islands". Island Time. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. "Cultural Heritage: Mike Tavioni". Cook Islands Tourism Corporation. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  4. "Master artist carves letters after his name". Cook Islands News. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  5. Angela McCarthy (1 January 1991). "Carving a path for art". Pacific Islands Monthly. 61 (1). pp. 49–50. Retrieved 5 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Tavioni's Punanga Nui proposal rejected". Cook Islands News. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  7. "Eleven artists show work in themed event". Cook Islands News. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  8. "Two 'unveilings' make artist's day extra-special". Cook Islands News. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  9. "First step in creation of carved memorial". Cook Islands News. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  10. "Big plans for newly-opened gallery". Cook Islands News. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  11. "Vaka headed for California". Cook Islands News. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  12. Michael T. Tavoni (1979). "The Unity Movement". In Davis, Thomas R. A. H.; Crocombe, R. G. (eds.). Cook Islands Politics: The Inside Story. Auckland: Polynesian Press. p. 83. ISBN 0-908597-002.
  13. "Mike Tavioni surprise candidate". Cook Islands News. 16 October 2010. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2020.


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