HAHA aka REGAN TAMANUI
BIOGRAPHY & CV
“I don’t care about the past”.
This is art of the end of history. No longer concerned with nostalgic reflections, ideological debates, or impossible utopias, or dystopias, it is an expression of the ‘Contemporary’ period that presents us with the spectacle of our everyday.
Self-taught stencil-art veteran Regan Tamanui’s multi-layered images show us that from any perspective, the view is the same. And immediately the currency of this work is recognisable - its myopic obsession with its own time and its manufactured heroes.
Sourced from our mass media saturated environment, this work boldly pictures our time - drunk with celebrity, seeking salvation in fame and fortune, and rejoicing in the dream of success. The old divide between street and gallery is irrelevant to Regan Tamanui, his alter-ego HaHa, as it is to those who grant him increasing critical acclaim.
Over the eight years he has exhibited, his work has been collected by the National Gallery of Australia, BHP Billiton, State Library of Victoria, City of Melbourne, Artbank, and privately in Australia and overseas.
Solo Exhibitions
2010
Urban Legends, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
2009
Phat of the Land, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney
Victorian, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
2008
Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
The Cult of Personality, Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney
2007
Such is Life, May Lane, Sydney
Land of Milk and Honey, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne
We are Young & Free, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2006
Australian Lifestyles, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
God Save Haha, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne
Aussie Rulz, The Box, Melbourne
2005
Crime Walls, Citylights, Centre Place, Melbourne
Banana Republic, Blacklab Gallery, Brisbane
Sovereignty, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2004
Zero Tolerance, Croft Institute, Melbourne
2002
Zero Popular, FAD Gallery, Melbourne
Group Exhibitions
2010
Space Invaders, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
2008
Contemporary Australia: Optimism, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
The Blender Studio , Melbourne
Black Digger, Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney
The Sublime Equine, Rushcutters Bay Gallery, Sydney
Kids Today, MTV Gallery, Sydney
Splenda, Michael Koro Gallery, Melbourne
Outside Inside, Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles
2007
Sideroom Gallery, Auckland New Zealand
I Still Call Australia, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
“Meatpackers & fruit pickers”, Melbourne
“Political footy”, Art Garden, Melbourne
Youthquakers, Melbourne
2006
The Big Day Out, Melbourne
Rumble, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne
Kidz These Dayz, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
Selftitled, Autopsy Gallery, Melbourne
Class of 06, Blank Space, Sydney
Swipe, Hush Hush Gallery, Melbourne
2005
The Big Day Out, Melbourne
Criminal Intent, HO Gallery, Balaclava
Tranzit, M.A.S., Lt Latrobe St, Melbourne
Un-Australian and Proud, Trocadero, Melbourne
Stencil Festival, Meatmarket, North Melbourne
Dinner Party, Ember Space, Melbourne
2004
Role Models, Forest One Gallery, Adelaide
A Cut Across, Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart
Rats of Smelbourne, Early Space, Melbourne
AAAXXX, Area 101, Adelaide
Melbourne Stencil Festival, Melbourne
Cash & Carry, Blender Studio's, Melbourne
Cut Sik, Labour Club, Sydney
Streetworks, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
67% Say They Were Mislead, Spark Lane, Melbourne; Streetside, Dublin,
Ireland
Blending In, Next Wave Festival, Melbourne
Outlandish, Traumatic Art Gallery, Melbourne
Affiliated Two, Forest One, Adelaide
Freeze Mutha Sucka This is a Stick Up, The Big Day Out, Melbourne
2003
Cut it Out, Hush Hush Gallery, Melbourne
Guerrilla Gorilla, George White Gallery & Bar, Melbourne
Derailed, Early Space, Melbourne
Friends of the Forest, Forest One, Adelaide
Above Ground, The Lounge, Melbourne
Affiliated, Area 101, Adelaide
Get A Real Job, Tomorrow Cafe, Melbourne
Permit Zone, Citylights, Melbourne
Open Studios, Blender Studios, Melbourne
The Empty Show, Willamstown & Canterbury, Melbourne. & Canberra.
67% Say They Were Mislead, Budapest
2002
Stuck Down South, FAD Gallery, Melbourne
Lollipop, Timba Gallery, Melbourne
2001
Group Show, FAD Gallery, Melbourne
Houdini to Hofmann, Chira Goya Gallery, Melbourne
Vote Stuckists, Fringe Gallery, London, UK
Collections
National Gallery of Australia
Artbank
BHP Billiton Collection
Parliament House, Canberra
Multiplex
State Library of Victoria
City of Melbourne
Private Collections Australia, NZ, UK, USA
Commissions
Foxtel Tram project 07
Ghostrider, 2006
Redstripe Beer, 2005
Multiplex, Sydney, World Square, 2004
The Big Day Out, Melbourne, 2004 - 2006
Crumpler
The Great Britain Hotel, The Public Bar, 2004
Mooks Clothing, 2004
Yelza
City of Port Phillip
City of Melbourne
Just Jeans
City Lights Project
Collingwood Football Club, MCG
Residencies
2007
Blender Studios2, Manager
2005-2007
Hush Hush Studios
2003-2004
Blender Studios, Assistant Director
2005-2007
Early Project, Co Director/Curator
2003-2004
Early Space, Co-Director/Curator, 201 Smith Street, Melbourne
Reviews
Stencil Case, Mischa Merz, Herald Sun, June 20, 08
Cut it out, Ruth Browne, The Age, 9 Feb 08
Art refreshes tired old lane, Larissa Ham The Leader, 19 Nov,
Ben Cousins artwork lights up laneway, Sean Carsick, msn 21nov
Sideroom Magazine (NZ), winter issue 07
Acclaim Magazine, September 07
“Street Cred”, Injektion, Germany 07
Street art world draws the line, Ashley Crawford, The Age, 9-5-07
Street art moves to a posh new hangout, Richard Jinman, Sydney morning hearld, 9-4-07
"Regan Tamanui: Australian Lifestyle", Philip Watkins,
Australian Art Collector, p.267, Jan-Mar 2006
Harper's Bazaar, September Issue, 2005
"Regan Tamanui: street art, gallery walls", Diana Klaosen, Real Time, Issue
66, 2005
"Street Smarts Given New Life Indoors", Jane Rankin-Reid, Sunday Tasmanian,
Feb 13, 2005
"City Lane Draws Fire Crime Victims Group" Martin Boulton, The Age, March 8,
2005
"Sovereignty", Joerg Andersch, The Mercury Magazine, 12 February 2005
"HAHA", Out 4 Fame, Issue 27, 2004
"Street Cred", Inside, Issue 32, 2004
"Pop Ethos", The Age, James Norman, 1July 2003
"Street Art Goes Legit", James Norman, The Age, 12 September 2003
"The Art of Legally Showing Aerosol Works Indoors", Mark Moor, MX, 8 June
2003
"The Art of Being Stuckist Up", Gabriella Coslovich, The Age, 24 May 2001
Film/TV/Books
2007
Uncommissioned art by Christine Dew
Not quite art show, SBSTV
2006
Ghostrider, Movie
Mai time, TVNZ 2
Sunday arts show, ABC.
Street Art Uncut, Matthew Lun
‘Stencil capital of the world, Melbourne’, by Jake Smallman & Carl Nyman
2005
Rash, Documentary, Nick Hansen
True Fantasy, Book, Silent Army
Channel 9 News, March 9
Channel 10 News, March 9
Six Degrees: Melbourne, Lonely Planet, TV Show
2004
Here Spray, Book and Documentary, Melbourne City Council
Outside the Square, Documentary, Shyam Ganju
The Brush Off, Movie, Directed by Sam Neill
Conform, Book, Saskia Folk, published by Macmillan
MondoThingo, ABC TV
The Today Show, Interviewed by Tracy Grimshaw
Collingwood Footy banner, Collingwood vs. Carlton, 2003
Cut Outs, by Cassandra Bakic
Urban Express, Documentary, Nick Hansen
Mind Spray, Shyam Ganju
Cut It Out, Documentary, Nick Hansen
Guerilla Gorilla, Cassandra Bakic
2001
Art Gets Unstuck, Documentary, Kaye Blum
Stencil Art workshops
2008
City of Yarra, Arts Program, Melbourne
Gasworks, Melbourne
Geelong Grammar, Geelong
2007
Kew High School
Our Lady of Mercy Girls College
Albert Park School
Shepparton Regional Art Gallery
2006
Albert Park College
The Good Sheppard Program
City of Melbourne, Children’s week program