Aroha Novak (Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Kahungunu) studied Sculpture and Installation at Dunedin School of Art, completing her undergraduate degree in 2007. She was awarded the David Con Hutton Perpetual Trust Memorial Scholarship towards postgraduate study and completed her Master of Fine Arts in 2013, also at Dunedin School of Art, with an exchange to Prague and the birth of her second child thrown in the middle.

Her work has focused on escapism, utopias and idealism within a capitalist, postcolonial and institutionalised society, frequently working outside of traditional gallery spaces and collaborating with other artists. Her work is often research and project based, drawing out indigenous and local histories that have been forgotten or suppressed.

Novak is a multidisciplinary artist, letting the concept dictate the materials used by employing a new approach to each project. Her practice encompasses sculpture, installation, painting, design, photography, sound and video.