Biography of Rozana Lee, an Indonesian-born Auckland based artist whose work ranges from painting, installation, creative writing and community-based project that addresses notion of survival and human relationship with Nature.

Rozana Lee is a multidisciplinary artist of Indonesian-Chinese heritage based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. Her research centres on ideas of place, migration, belonging, postcolonial identity, and cross-cultural mobility. Working across textiles, painting, video, and installation, she explores global histories of encounter and exchange that enable shared experiences—both within and beyond national and geographic boundaries.

Recent exhibitions include Geography of nostalgia, Redbase Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2025), Drawn to see(a), Blue Oyster, Ōtepoti Dunedin (2024); Memory Lines, City Gallery Wellington (2024); Sekali pendatang, tetap pendatang, Te Uru, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (2023); Several Degrees of Attention, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Ngāmotu New Plymouth (2022); Crossings, Adam Art Gallery, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington (2021); Te Wheke: Pathways Across Oceania, Christchurch Art Gallery (2020); and Two Oceans at Once, St Paul St Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (2019). Her works are held in public and private collections including Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, the Arts House Trust, and the Original Art Trust.

Lee has undertaken artist residencies in Singapore (2016), China (2019), Japan (2024), Australia (2024), and most recently in Indonesia (2025), with support from the Asia New Zealand Foundation. She was also a research fellow at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography in Leipzig, Germany (2024), and a participant in the Zhelezka Project: On the Tracks Through Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan (2023)—a project supported by the Volkswagen Foundation, which aims to develop conceptual and methodological approaches for generating new knowledge about lesser-explored, multicultural places.

Photo courtesy of Thanh-Phong Ngô

Education:

Master of Fine Arts, First Class Honours, Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. (University Postgraduate Scholar), 2018.
Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts (with Distinction), Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland, New Zealand, 2017.
Bachelor of Visual Arts (with Distinction), Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand, 2015.

Diploma in Investment, Institute of Banking and Finance, Singapore, 2001.
Bachelor of Arts, English Language and Literature (with Distinction), The University of Methodist Indonesia, 1992.

Scholarships:

Research Masters Scholarship, University of Auckland, 2018.
Henrietta and Lola Anne Tunbridge Water Colour Scholarship, 2018.
Summer Research Scholarship, University of Auckland, 2017-2018.

Awards:

3rd place, Estuary Art & Ecology Awards, 2022.
People's Choice Award, National Contemporary Art Award, 2021.
People's Choice Award (joint winner), Estuary Art & Ecology Awards, 2018.
Runner up, Henrietta and Lola Anne Tunbridge Water Colour Scholarship Award, 2018.
Artist Alliance Mentoring Programme recipient, 2016.

Finalists:

Molly Morpeth Canaday Award 3D (2022).
Molly Morpeth Canaday Award, Painting and Drawing ( 2021, 2017, 2015).
National Contemporary Art Award (2021).
The Wallace Art Award (2019, 2018).
Parkin Drawing Prize Award (2019, 2016).
Estuary Art & Ecology Prize Award (2022, 2018, 2017).
Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award (2017, 2016).

Artist Residencies & Fellowship:

12 May- 22 June 2025, Redbase Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, supported by Asia New Zealand Foundation. https://redbaseart.com/
Nov-Dec 2024, RedBase Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia. https://redbaseart.com/
May 2024, Studio Kura, Fukuoka, Japan. https://studiokura.info/en/2024/05/rozana-lee/
April 2024, visiting fellow, the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig, Germany. https://leibniz-ifl.de/en/press-1/details/drawn-to-seea
Aug 2023, The Zhelezka Project, Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan. https://comode.leibniz-ifl-projekte.de/2023/03/29/open-call-for-zhelezka-summer-school-on-the-tracks-through-central-asia/
May 2019, Making Space, Guangzhou, China. https://www.chinaresidencies.com/news/291
March 2016, Instinc Gallery, Singapore. https://www.instinc.com/

Grant:

Creative NZ, Creative Community Scheme, Auckland for Patches of Life 2004-2014: Indonesian Batik making project with primary school children and community around Auckland to mark 10th anniversary of Boxing Day Tsunami 2004 and touring exhibitions.

Volunteering & art related jobs:

Curatorial Team, Window Gallery, The University of Auckland, Feb 2020-June 2021.
International student mentor, Elam, The University of Auckland, 2018.
Elam Galleries Committee member, 2017-2018.
Elam Studio International Group mentor, 2017-2018.
Artspace Auckland, 2016-2018.

Collections:

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Whaiwhetū.
The Arts House Trust.
The Original Art Trust.

Published essay:
Tracing Mobility through Migration of Cultural Motifs, Context (the Costume and Textile Aotearoa New Zealand magazine), issue 46, Summer 2024/25 magazine, page 20-29.

Review, writings, and interviews:

Exhibition response to Drawn to see(a) 2024 exhibition at Blue Oyster Art Project space https://blueoyster.org.nz/writing/writing/echoes-of-the-sea-witnessing-ecological-loss/
Rozana Lee: Windows to the World, by Nina Dyer, Art News Aotearoa, Issue No. 203, Spring 2024, pg 126-128.
Radio NZ, Culture 101, Travelling through Asian and Pasifika Cultures in Batik with Rozana Lee, interview with Mark Amery https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/culture-101/audio/2018932050/travelling-through-asian-and-pasifika-cultures-in-batik-with-rozana-lee
We Are Advised Not to Say, Residue and Remembrance in the Art of Rozana Lee by Jane Wallace, Art New Zealand, No. 188, Summer 2023-2024, pg. 64-67. (full article attached below)
Rozana Lee in the Zhelezka Project: On the Tracks through Central Asia, Art News Aotearoa, Issue No. 199, Spring 2023, News and Previews, pg. 36.
Tracing Culture by Gabi Lardies, North & South Magazine, March 2023, pg.98.
Art History as Reparation: Several Degrees of Attention at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery by Christina Barton, Art New Zealand, No. 184, Summer 2022-23, pg. 86-89.
From across bodies of water by Arthur Hawkes, Art Zone, Autumn 2022, Issue 90, pg. 12-13.
Rozana Lee: Home is Anywhere in the World by Kirsty Baker, Art New Zealand, No. 176, Summer 2020-21, pg. 42.
https://contemporaryhum.com/calendar/rozana-lee-the-zhelezka-project?page=2
https://www.the-art-paper.com/journal/rozana-lee-te-uru
https://eyecontactmagazine.com/2023/06/cultural-osmosis-or-insoluble-non-absorbent-identi
https://waikatomuseum.co.nz/about-us/news/article/
https://ourhamilton.co.nz/culture-events/silk-artwork-wins-peoples-choice-award/
https://www.pantograph-punch.com/post/unmissables-july-2020/
https://www.artzone.co.nz/post/collective-action/
https://artfair.co.nz/projects/rozana-lee/
https://artfair.co.nz/artwork/rozana-lee/
https://artfair.co.nz/artwork/a-round-table-discussion/
https://thebigidea.nz/stories/house-visits-connecting-cultures
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/115047252/tactile-histories-fabrics-telling-stories
https://www.pantograph-punch.com/posts/review-two-oceans-at-once/
http://tinyurl.com/tsunamihour

Solo Exhibitions/Projects:

(20-22.06.25) Geography of nostalgia, Redbase Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
(01.05.25-04.05.25) Aotearoa Art Fair 2025 with Redbase Gallery, Gadigal Country Sydney.
(20.09.24-26.10.24) Drawn to see(a), Blue Oyster art project space, Dunedin. https://blueoyster.org.nz/exhibitions/drawn-to-seea/
(25 & 26, 05.2024) Spring is as sweet as shirotsumekusa, Studio Kura, Fukuoka, Japan.
(02.03.2024 – 27.04.2024) Windows to the world, Corban Estate Arts Centre, as part of Auckland Art Festival 2024. https://ceac.org.nz/exhibitions/windows-to-the-world

(18.03-23-30.07.23) Sekali pendatang, tetap pendatang, Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland. https://www.teuru.org.nz/whats-on/calendar/rozana-lee-sekali-pendatang-tetap-pendatang/
(22.05-22-02.07.22) A Way of Being Free, Northart Gallery, Auckland.
(11.03.22-22.04.22) Birds from Another Continent, Auckland World of Cultures, Mangere Arts Centre.
(13.02.21-20.03.21) Birds from Another Continent, Papakura Art Gallery, Auckland & (22.03.21-10.04.21)Onehunga Library & Community Centre.
(21.08.20-05.08.20) Home is Anywhere in the World, MEANWHILE, Wellington.
(29.04.20-17.05.20) Project 2020: Space As Substance, Auckland Art Fair, curated by Micheal Do.
(18.03.20-04.04.20) Future Flowering, Play_Station, Wellington.
(25.08.19) Tactile Histories, fabric collage workshop, Taranaki Art Festival, New Plymouth.
(24.05.19-24.07.19) Reconfigure(d), Making Space, Guangzhou, China.
(20.04.19) Balconies Facing the Sun, Auckland Art Fair dinner function, Hopetoun Alpha.
(10.04.19-05.05.19) (Be)Longing, Window Gallery, Auckland.
(16.11.18-01.04.19) To Begin Again, Above the Sofa: Artspace Auckland reading room.
(22.11.18-25.11.18) To Begin Again, MFA Graduation Show, George Fraser Gallery, Auckland.
(22.04.18 & 20.08.18) Tactile Histories, fabric collage workshops organised by Satellites (funded by Auckland Council) at Mt. Roskill and Te Tuhi, Pakuranga.
(20.11.17-03.12.17) Ornamental Patterns: Reclaiming Excess and Difference, PGDipFA Graduation Show, Elam, Auckland.
(25.07.17-06.08.17) Ornamentation and Abstraction, Sanderson Contemporary Art, Auckland.
(23.03.17-11.05.17) Lost and Remembered, Corner Window Gallery, Karangahape Road, Auckland.
(28.02.17-26.03.17) Beyond the Differences, Flexi Space, Wallace Gallery Morrinsville.
(01.03.16-31.03.16) Singapore Sensation, Artist Residency and Solo exhibition, Instinc Gallery, Singapore.
(12.11.15-14.11.15) On The Manner of Addressing Chaos, Graduating Exhibition, AUT AD15, Auckland. http://www.artsdiary.co.nz/76/2004.html
(12.05.14-02.08.14) Patches of Life 2004-2014, Community Art Project and Touring Exhibitions to mark 10th Anniversary of 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. This project is kindly funded by Creative NZ:
(12.05.14-25.05.14) Mt. Eden Village Center.
(23.06.14-04.07.14) Northart Gallery.
(19.07-02.08.14) Franklin Art Centre.
(10.13) Tsunami Hour, Art Week Auckland event, Ponsonby Central, Auckland.
(08.05.13-25.05.13) Tsunami Hour, Artstation (now Studio One Toi Tū) Auckland.

Selected Group Exhibitions:

(03.10.25-25.10.25) Echoes through Time, duo exhibition with Bev Moon, Bergman Gallery, Auckland. https://bergmangallery.com/exhibitions/93-echoes-through-time-bev-moon-rozana-lee/overview/
(28.02.35-31.03.25) Iteration 29: Wind to fly and flicker the flame, Mothermother, Auckland https://www.mothermother.co.nz/iterations/wind-to-fly-and-flicker-the-flame
(01.03.25-22.03.25) Inflection Point, Bergman Gallery, Auckland https://bergmangallery.com/exhibitions/84-inflection-point-group-exhibition/overview/
(03.09.24-28.09.24) Horizon 2, Bergman Gallery, Auckland.https://bergmangallery.com/exhibitions/80-horizon-2-group-exhibition/overview/
(01.08.24-31.08.24) Belonging: Stories of Contemporary New Zealand Asian Artists, Bergman Gallery, Auckland. https://bergmangallery.com/exhibitions/69-belonging-stories-of-contemporary-new-zealand-asian-artists-group-exhibition/overview/
(09.03.2024-30.06.2024) Memory Lines, curated by Dr. Kirsty Baker, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, Wellington. https://citygallery.org.nz/exhibitions/memory-lines/

(09.28.23-08.10.23) 胎息, Tai Xi (That birth breath), Tui Tui Art space, Auckland.
(08.23.23-08.27.23) 胎息, Tai Xi (That birth breath), Kurume City Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan.
(09.07.22-07.11.22) Several degrees of attention, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Ngāmotu New Plymouth, Taranaki. https://govettbrewster.com/exhibitions/several-degrees-of-attention https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/467293/several-degrees-of-attention/
(02.07.22-27.08.22) Estuary Art & Ecology Prize Award 2022, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Uxbridge, Auckland.
(14.03.22-27.05.22) From Across Bodies of Water and Other Transient Objects, Gallagher Academy of Performing Art, the University of Waikato, Hamilton.
(30.05.20-01.06.22) Te Wheke: Pathways Across Oceania, The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Christchurch.
(13.02.22-09.04.22) Molly Morpeth Canaday Award 3D 2022, Whakatane Museum and Arts, Whakatane.
(18.09.21-20.02.22) National Contemporary Art Award, 2021, Waikato Museum, Hamilton
(19.06.21-22.08.21) Crossings (a group show about intimacies and distances), curated by Christina Barton, Millie Riddell and Sophie Thorn, Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Wellington.
(13.08.21-15.09.21) All is Full of Love, curated by Wesley John Fourie, Broker Gallery, 85 Beach Street, Queenstown.
(28.07.20-27.09.20) Fluid Borders: Far Nearer, Wallace Arts Trust, The Pah Homestead, Auckland.
(22.07.20-22.08.20) New Work, group exhibition, Melanie Roger Gallery, Auckland.
(02.09.19-31.01.20) Wallace Art Awards 2019 Travelling Finalists exhibition, The Pah Homestead, Auckland and NZ Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington.
(05.08.19-08.09.19) Parkin Drawing Prize Awards exhibition, NZ Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington.
(04.07.19-27.09.19) Fluid Borders, Audio Foundation, Auckland.
(14.02.19-17.05.19) Two Oceans At Once, curated by Cameron Ah-Loo Matamua and Charlotte Hudleston, St. Paul St Gallery, Auckland.
(16.01.19-14.02.19) Once Upon A Time, curated by Philip Tse, Studio One Toi Tū, Auckland.
(04.09.18-28.10.18) Wallace Art Awards 2018 exhibition, The Pah Homestead, Auckland.
(16.08.18-25.08.18) Counter-sites: Onsite, co-curated exhibition for Studio international group exhibition, Elam Projectspace.
(08.08.18-11.08.18) Henrietta and Lola Anne Tunbridge Water Colour Scholarship Awards, Elam Projectspace, Auckland.
(09.07.18-11.08.18) Estuary Art & Ecology Prize Awards, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Uxbridge Centre, Auckland.
(23.04.18-25.05.18) Unseen, Unheard, Unveiled, currated by Alice Tyler and Zoe Hoeberigs, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Uxbridge Centre, Auckland.
(01.05.18-06.05.2018) In the Language We all Understand, Elam Projectspace, Auckland.
(05.03.18-.9.03.18) Summer Research Show, Elam Projectspace Gallery, Auckland.
(20.10.17-12.11.17) Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award Exhibition, Waiheke Art Gallery, Waiheke.
(07.10.17-05.10.17) Artweek Auckland, Look@KRoad, curated by Lyn Dallison, Auckland.
(08.08.17-22.08.17) Here, There, and The Space in Between, Studio International exhibition, George Fraser Gallery and Elam Project Space, Auckland.
(23.08.17-14.09.17) I Live for that Energy, curated by Philip Tse, Studio One Toi Tū, Auckland.
(10.06.17-15.07.17) Estuary Art and Ecological Prize Awards, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Auckland.
Jan 28 - March 12, 2017, Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award exhibition, Whakatane Museum and Art Gallery, Whakatane.
(22.10.17-14.11.16) Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award, Waiheke Art Gallery, Waiheke.
(08.10.16-16.10.16) Artweek Auckland, Look@Kroad curated by Lyn Dallison, at BNZ 129 Karangahape Road, Auckland.
(02.08.16-28.08.16) Parkin Drawing Prize exhibition, The Academy Galleries, Wellington.
(26.06.16-13.07.16) Northart Members' Exhibition, Northart Gallery, Auckland.
(30.03.16-21.04.16) The Colour of Your Heart is What Matters, curated by Philip Tse, Studio One Toi Tū, Auckland. http://artsdiary.co.nz/80/2110.html
(21.02.16-08.03.16) Chance and Change, Northart Gallery, Auckland. http://artsdiary.co.nz/79/2076.html
(10.10.15-18.10.15) Artweek Auckland, Look at K Road, Auckland.
(08.15-09.15) Reaching the Horizon and Beyond, curated by Philip Tse, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Uxbridge & Studio One Toi Tu, Auckland. http://artsdiary.co.nz/70/1873.html
(05.15) Pilot Project 4, Strangely Familiar, AUT St. Paul Street Gallery 3, Auckland. http://www.artsdiary.co.nz/bt67/1787.html
(05.15)Members' Mid Year Exhibition, works selected by Jennifer Buckley, director of Orexart and past director Auckland Art Fair), Northart Gallery, Auckland.
(03.15) Between Tides, Westmere Beach, Auckland.
(01.15-03.15) Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award exhibition, Whakatane.
(03.15-02.15) Northart Members' Show, Northart Gallery, Auckland.
(10.14) Artweek Auckland, Victoria Park Market, Auckland.
(05.14) Northart Members' Midyear Exhibition (works selected by Tim Melville, Tim Melville Gallery), Northart Gallery, Auckland.
(03.14) Tools of The Trade Project by JJ Morgan, Paul Nache Gallery, Gisborne.
(01.14-02.14) Treasure to Treasure,The Northart Summer Members' show, NorthArt Gallery, Auckland. http://artsdiary.co.nz/bt48/1320/1.html
(11.13) Painter's Progress, Artstation, Auckland.