'Being around artists, particularly Pacific artists was a common thing growing up, so I naturally leaned towards arts as a career. Pacific artists such as Michel Tuffery, Mahiriki Tangaroa and Ani O'Neill were all artists I admired growing up and still do. I used aspects, research and topics of their work to navigate areas of Cook Islands history and culture.'
Christchurch born artist Nina Oberg Humphries is a self described cultural hybrid. Her practise explores the contrasts between Cook Islands artefacts, performance, costume & tradition, and western popular culture - to create a visual language that represents second generation Pasifika or New Zealand born Pacific Islanders.
Her grandmother Rangi Oberg was from Rarotonga and moved to New Zealand as a 12 year old. 'My Cook Islands grandmother was a strong community leader here in Christchurch receiving a Queen Service medal for her community work while also being a Justice of the Peace. Being an active part of the New Zealand Cook Islands community is something that is important to me and I get this from her. I do not speak Cook Islands Māori nor have I had a great deal of first hand exposure to Cook Islands culture growing up.' When her grandmother passed away in 2007, Oberg Humphries turned to art as a way to remain connected and learn more about her Cook Islands culture. She didn't have to look too far for inspiration; her mother Stephanie has a Masters in Pacific Art History and is an art curator and writer.
After high school, Oberg Humphries attended the School of Fine Arts at both Massey University in Wellington and Canterbury University in Christchurch. In 2017, she was a commissioned artist for Christchurch's SCAPE Public Arts Trust. Oberg Humphries was also named the 2020 Pacific Artist in Residence at the University of Canterbury's Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies. During the three month residency, Oberg Humphries researched Pacific artefacts from the Canterbury Museum Collection and their relevance to Pacific people. 'I was most excited to see what other Cook Islanders feel and know about the Cook Islands items I had chosen. Canterbury Museum has many Cook Islands Taonga in their collection, with many amazing examples of God staffs and fans. One fan is said to be linked to the Endeavour and Captain Cook's voyages through the Cook Islands.'
Oberg Humphries art practice includes photography, installation, sculpture, video, painting and performance. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ilam School of Fines Arts, Canterbury University, 2018.