Born in Hamilton, artist Regan Tamanui (aka HA-HA) lives and works in Melbourne, based out of the engimatic and infamous Blender Studios.

“Entirely self-taught, Tamanui spearheaded the Melbourne stencil movement in 2002. He is now regarded as Australia’s most prolific and skilled stencil artist to date and is represented in major national museums, private and corporate collections.

In his first solo exhibition in his home country of New Zealand, Tamanui presents Personal Heroes, a retrospective portrait series of New Zealand’s beloved rugby players to coincide with the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

In this series, Tamanui explores themes of ‘the working class man’ the ‘corporate team vs individual’. These themes perhaps serve as an allegory for contemporary culture and the 21st Century decline of community. However we see them these are rugby heroes, individuals who played for the team, mixed with the team, and tried hard to be one of the team. In essence they played for glory; team, individual, personal, but there was no talk of playing for the corporation, the advertisers, the sponsors, the brand. “

Personal Heroes is Tamanui’s lament for the passing of the mantel ‘Individual Hero’ over to ‘Corporate Property’. Held at OREXART Gallery (formerly Oedipus Rex Gallery) check out a legend, and his legends, in this very emotive portrait collection.

Who: Regan Tamanui (aka HA-HA)
What: Personal Heroes
Where: OREXART – Kitchener St, Auckland, New Zealand
When: Opening Tuesday 18th October 6-9pm. Show runs til 5th November 2011

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