Nikki Mariner is an Auckland-born artist of Samoan and Pakeha heritage. While she lacks formal art education, painting evolved from a private and therapeutic hobby into a professional pursuit after moving to Samoa and co-founding the Manamea Art Studio and Gallery with her artist husband, Lalovai. Inspired by the underrepresentation of female artists in the Samoan art scene, Mariner’s bold, figurative, and expressionistic paintings depict the experiences of brown women navigating traditional cultural norms alongside modern life. Themes of sisterhood, trauma survival, and the complexities of juggling multiple identities recur throughout her body of work.