Works in Show
To be Updated After the Opening Ceremony
Artist Biography
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Tracey Coakley has lived in New Zealand since 2007 and works from her studio in Waipu, Northland. Predominantly self-taught, she has been painting since 2000 and working full-time as an artist since 2017, and also completed a Diploma of Visual Arts in 2006. She has exhibited widely across Australia and New Zealand. Her work has been recognised in national awards including the NZPPA Awards (2026), Craig’s Aspiring Art Award (2026), and the Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award (2020–2024). She has received Supreme Winner 2D at the Franklin Arts Awards (2022 & 2025) and the Kumeu Art Awards (2020).
Artist Statement
Tracey Coakley is a narrative oil painter working primarily in figurative painting and portraiture.
Her subjects are often friends, family, and self-portraits, and over time have included her children as they navigate from childhood into adolescence and adulthood. Through vibrant wet-on-wet skin tones, layered glazing, and patterned fabrics, she builds depth and quiet narrative within her realistic work.
A sense of personal connection to the subject is central to her process. She’s drawn to human emotions, even small, reflective moments, expressions, gestures, or pauses,her paintings suggest an inner story and invite the viewer to interpret their own narrative.
Changes Within Me by Tracey Coakley
Tracey Coakley
Artist
