Jenna Packer New Zealand, b. 1967

Jenna Packer graduated from Ilam School of Fine Arts in 1988 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, later completing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History at the University of Canterbury. During the 1990s, she lived and worked in the UK, Morocco, and France, undertaking periods of study at the Glasgow Print Workshop, The Slade School of Art (London), and La Rouelle Studio (France).

Now based in Waitati, Otago, Packer is a full-time artist who has exhibited consistently since 1990 across Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Her practice is shaped by research-driven projects, including Paradise Lost (Solander Gallery, 2018), which toured New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, and Iceland, and Wai – The Water Project (Ashburton Art Gallery, 2018–2019).

Engaging closely with environmental and social histories, Packer’s work explores the politics of climate change and has been presented widely in associated forums. Her work is held in private collections throughout New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Italy.