Dr Areta Wilkinson (Ngāi Tahu) is a contemporary artist whose creative practice moves freely on and off the body as site, and into the field of installation. Her exquisite works explore art as a form of knowledge and practice with Māori philosophies–especially whakapapa and a worldview informed by Ngāi Tahu perspectives. She quietly crosses disciplines and boundaries with immense skill and perception. Areta is inspired by place and sees her work as a continuous exploration of the narratives that have shaped both her identity and her practice.

Alongside her creative works, Areta has a strong collaborative ethos and supports a community of artists in her orbit. She has worked collectively with artist groups like Oxford Gallery toi o Waimakariri and Paemanu: Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts and worked on partnership projects with iwi agencies and cultural organisations such as Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre. Areta is an active member of the Māori Womens Welfare League Rāpaki Branch as modelled by her Taua (grandmother).

Her work is well represented in New Zealand collections including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Wellington. Areta currently lives and works in Oxford, New Zealand near the foothills of the Southern Alps. In 2022, she became an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate receiving the Jillian Friedlander Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Award.