Monica Paterson is a New Zealand-based painter of Samoan and Pākehā descent, residing in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) with her husband and two daughters. She studied art, fabric, and graphic design at Unitec and Auckland University of Technology (AUT). After working as a graphic designer at TV3, she transitioned to painting in 2012.
Paterson's work is characterized by vibrant colors and intricate scenes that draw inspiration from Pacific art, folk art, and illustration. Her paintings often depict female-centric narratives connected to her maternal Samoan heritage, featuring goddesses, ancestral figures, and themes of love and human connection. Paterson’s scenes are complex, detailed - stereotypical Pacific postcard imagery on steroids. There is a large story unfolding from within, the artist reconciling a diasporic contemporary Pacific identity against intoxicating past stories of islands in the sun.
She has participated in numerous group exhibitions across New Zealand, including "Tusiata O Le Tala Le Vavau: Artists of the Forever Stories" at Māngere Arts Centre in 2023. Her work is held in various private collections. Paterson has also undertaken residencies at Corban Estate Art Centre in Henderson and Glasgow Street Residency in Whanganui.
In 2023, Paterson's work was featured in the "Motherland Homeland" exhibition at Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, Wellington, which explored themes of place, history, and belonging among Moana artists.