Vjekoslav is a world-renowned artist and inspiring art tutor based in Auckland. His exceptional drawing skills and interest in comics led him to pursue a career in art. With over 40 years’ experience in the field, Vjekoslav’s work is easily identifiable, as has become a multi-award-winning artist with works featured in collections throughout Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, Asia and New Zealand.

Currently in Year 12, I’m a Cambridge arts student with a focus in mixed media. Last year, I excelled in both my media studies and arts class, receiving the art award for top in my year. I’ve continued my artistic journey with an increased interest in photography and collage, exploring themes of femininity, consumerism, fulfillment, and more throughout the year.

Jay has been immersed in creativity, history, music and storytelling from an early age. Born in London, his interests span drawing, painting, design, film, wildlife, travel, and music. After a formal arts education in secondary school and various London art colleges Jay has exhibited far and wide before settling in NZ and calling Tāmaki Makaurau home. This is not Jay's first Art Battle Auckland!

Art Battle Auckland fave and prolific muralist Paul X Walsh is back and he’s ready! Paul works predominantly with acrylic, spray paint and watercolour. He has been a full-time mural artist for over a decade - you may know Paul’s work from 80+ utility boxes around Auckland, the musician memorial wall on K Road and his flower girl on Dominion Rd.

Hi New Lynn! I’m looking forward to taking the speed painting challenge after a great night Spotlighting in the city!

I studied Fine Art with Oriental painting major, with a strong focus on trees and flora. I like using ink and watercolour with a small brush, experimenting with tones and depth on different types of paper. My drawings embody the atmosphere and stories of the nature.

As Leonardo Da Vinci reportedly said approximately 500 years ago, “Without the work of David Parr, my work is nothing!”. David Parr is the Head of Art History and E-Learning at King’s College. His commitment to teaching and learning over the last few decades has been second to none. His passion for teaching painting, design and art history is clearly evident on a daily basis, whilst his forward-thinking capacity to develop the digital skills in his students has been exemplary. He’s a trailblazer, he’s a game changer, he’s a man moving forward at a constant pace in the world of art education in Aotearoa….. he’s David Parr.

Our bodies are inalienably part of us; and yet can feel so alien. When we look in a mirror, we see staring back at us a creature, a beautiful horrific machine of flesh and blood. At the same however, we may feel that that machine is not ourselves. Which then leads us to the realisation that all we are, as humans, is a package of flesh and blood supported by a scaffolding of bones powered by an electrified slab of meat. That disconnect—when I break a bone, is it really me that is broken？ Or this body I am tied to？ Thump. The heart beats. Lungs contract. Expand. Litres of hot blood rush through canals between the muscles. The body can feel so alien, yet it is an inalienable part of ourselves—That is the Horror of Having a Body.

Lucia is an aspiring artist with an affinity for loose backgrounds and a likeness for a colourful pallet. Her inspiration is drawn from gothic buildings and natural landscapes.

Emily is a dynamic, creative, outspoken, confident, crazy and cocky artist. Her work resonates with meaningful outcomes, steeped in social and cultural change. From photography to painting, her work is unique and representative of her risk taking persona. Alongside seeing her work, you will hear her voice above all others. She is a world changer, an activist and a person committed to switching up the cliché.

Wish me luck!

Hi, my name is Zoe, I'm currently a year 13 at King's College. Currently I've been interested in experimenting with combining philosophy and psychology with art through mediums like photography, painting, and installations. My aspiration for all my artworks is that they resonate with individuals on an emotional level, rather than it being just objects.

Jade Te Hira is an aspiring young artist whose free-spirited and colourful palette inspires feelings of freedom. Hailing from the far north as far as Ahipara, as well as the inland Wairarapa region, Jade draws most of her inspiration from her Māori heritage to highlight the beauty of her culture.

Ashleigh studied a bachelor of Visual Arts, majoring in photographic and lens based media. She is a lens based artist with a passion for most aspects of photography, including astrophotography, wildlife and analogue film photography. She enjoys appreciating the little things in life, and finding ways to show the importance of the quirks and uniqueness of each person or moment. She is not a particularly experienced painter (specialising in funky stick figures), and hopes this doesn’t show through too much in her art battle work.