Tawhai Rickard (Ngāti Uepohatu, Ngāti Porou) was born at Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, Gisborne and completed his art studies at Waiāriki Institute of Technology, Rotorua and Massey University Te Putahi a Toi, Palmerston North.

Much of his childhood was spent in the discovery of taha wairua Māori through encounters with his tribal maunga ‘Hikurangi’, his whenua papatipu (ancestral lands), and the cultural expressions of his whanau and iwi.

His work is influenced by the epic history of Aotearoa New Zealand and by the social, historical and cultural interrelationship between Māori and Pākēha.

He is interested in exploring the ways that this permeates contemporary culture and society. His paintings and sculptures reveal a Māori ‘Pop Art’ aesthetic inspired by the figurative paintings in his ancestral meeting house ‘Hinetapora’ at Ruatoria.

Rickard works predominately with acrylic paints and whakairo (carving) using reclaimed wood and repurposed domestic furniture.

He was the winner of the 2023 National Contemporary Art Award.