Making Way For Tāmaki Makaurau

Auckland’s creative scene has evolved over the years. As New Zealand’s most diverse city, each year Auckland sees a new wave of creatives that challenge pre-existing ideals while experimenting with new stories and narratives. There’s a great network of young artists in Tāmaki Makaurau so we thought we would show a bit of love to some of our local creatives.

hans.

hans. is an Auckland based artist who first moved to Kerikeri from Seoul, South Korea. Primarily focused on conscious rap with strong influence by Mac Miller, hans. caught the attention of many with his full band Mac Miller tribute in 2020. hans. has played alongside artists such as Rejjie Snow and Billie Eilish, and even performed in SXSW2019. In addition to performing, hans. has a strong interest in supporting Korean culture and creatives, helping organising ‘to and fro,’ a Korean creative exhibition in late 2020.

bb gurl

Describing themselves as “Transcore Cyberpunk Bitch Music,” BB gurl delivers high energy music to take you into your night out. With hints of Charli XCX and PC Music style production, you can expect bright and creative production with soaring digitally altered vocals. Their latest track “Get It Get It” is a high energy single, revving through all the doubts and questions of relationship turmoil.

Alyssa Medel

As an emerging creative working in both screen and theatre, Alyssa is passionate about the relationship between visual storytelling and its ability to centre voices that have historically been subjugated and marginalised. Alyssa is particularly interested in uplifting the Pan-Asian arts scene, where she is most notably active in the Filipino arts community.

Sara.and.misc

Sara is an Auckland based graphic designer and illustrator with a knack for adding a bit of fun in her creations. She currently runs an Etsy store where she produces retro stickers that are perfect for adding a little bit of personality on your laptop or reusable bottle.

Catalina Nuñez Elevancini

Catalina is a graphic designer, illustrator, zine lover and overall creative. While she’s fresh to the scene, Catalina is already getting recognised for her illustrative skills and playful aesthetic. Debate’s Social Media Manager Nam would also like to add that she has excellent taste in memes on the pulse of gen z.

yölk

yölk is a creative space run by Alyssa Puo and Gwen Lin. Through yölk the two have created a nurturing space for budding Pan-Asian creatives in Aotearoa to connect, create and collaborate. Just a few weeks ago, the two organized YÖLKFEST, a place to not only share and celebrate art, but to share and celebrate the folks behind the art.