DECEMBER 2014
www.tautai.org
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lonnie hutchinson
black out
Lonnie Hutchinson, Can you see me? (1997)
A spectre is always revenant. One cannot control its comings and goings because it begins by coming back. - Jacques Derrida
S
ince 1997, multi-media and installation artist Lonnie Hutchinson (Ngāi Tahu/SamoanPoutasi) has been ‘taunting and haunting’ the subconscious of dominant patriarchal audiences and bringing to light repressed narratives of Māori and Pacific Island experiences and histories. Particular threads of enquiry run through Hutchinson’s artistic practice that spans almost eighteen years. Her work explores different modes of spectrality where self-created motifs such as Black Pearl appear in different incarnations as both a potent haunting figure and a figure of indigenous female empowerment. In earlier works she has used her body as a contested site to blur the boundaries of concepts such as tapu/noa,
viewer/voyeur and object/subject. Alongside this are Hutchinson’s publicly commissioned artworks that adorn sites and institutions across Aotearoa such as the Auckland Art Gallery and The Commons (former Crown Plaza site) in Christchurch that employ tikanga Māori to connect the past and present. Hutchinson’s practice covers extensive territories and in the exciting lead up towards Black Bird, a midcareer survey exhibition of artworks from 19972013 opening in February at Gus Fisher Gallery, we take this time to reflect on the ways in which her practice has broadened contemporary art in New Zealand and abroad. Deconstructing representations of indigenous female bodies is an ongoing enquiry of Hutchinson’s practice explored first in the performance series titled Can You See Me 1997. In these poignant performances Hutchinson covered her entire body in packaging tape and lay motionless in public spaces around Auckland city. Firstly in a crucifix position (during Easter) at
Cream, the early performance space at Unitec; then in suspension from the macrocarpa tree at Unitec; and finally at Queen Elizabeth Square. Video documentation of her performances revealed varying and questionable reactions to the public presentation of the obscured female form. Some passersby did not realise that a person lay underneath the tape although Hutchinson noted there was a difference between male and female responses. According to Hutchinson, The male spectator felt more comfortable in the performance space than their female counterparts. This was evidenced by male foot-nudging and touching of the form. In contrast, the female spectator was confronted with her own image… Upon completion Hutchinson discovered how her presentation of the body can be read as being both tapu and noa - sacred because of the association of bones with death and made noa
Lonnie Hutchinson
because women are considered noa. Hutchinson moves easily between her Māori and Samoan identities, drawing from both sets of cosmologic origins, spiritual beliefs and cultural practices. As part of the VAhine collective, formed in 2002 with artists Niki Hastings-McFall and Lily Laita, Hutchinson studied ancient man-made rock formations, tia seu lupe (pigeon snaring mounds), in Samoa. Together they discovered symbols, patterns and shapes that revealed the significance of pigeons and pigeon snaring within Samoan culture. Tia, or mounds, are believed to have been an interface between the natural and supernatural world and were also used by traditional healers to ensnare ill-intentioned spirits. Lupe (pigeons) are also symbolic creatures within Pacific mythology as intermediaries between gods and humanity, life and death, past and present. Part of this research culminated into Hutchinson’s series of drawings called Pigeon Tarot 2003. In this work Hutchinson draws on notions of divinity and spirituality by creating her own deck of tarot cards, producing twenty two drawings that represent the trump cards of a tarot deck. Each card is centred around an anthropomorphic lupe that embodies different male and female roles within Samoan society such as the Ali’i (the emperor), Masiofo (the empress) or Tama’ita’i (the high priestess), all adorned in traditional Samoan dress with appropriately altered accoutrements.
recurring material in Hutchinson’s oeuvre). The drawings of women are virtually rendered and move, they disappear then reappear in different provocative sexualised positions. The women are only visible if we peer intently through the overlaid patterned designs, which have a strong resemblance to cowrie shells and may also be read as a net detaining the women or a motif that takes the shape of a vulva. The scale of the work draws us in closer, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Black Pearl, which becomes unsettling and places us as viewers into voyeurs. This visual imagery is accompanied by a soundscape that comprises recordings of a bird cry and sounds of the reverberation of water lapping against the sides of a wooden ship. Hutchinson’s complex assemblage of historical, visual and audio references re-presents Black Pearl as seductive and political; reclaiming omitted narratives of sex slavery in the Pacific in the past and as an on going issue in the present. As recurring figures in Hutchinson’s practice both the lupe and Black Pearl motifs have evolved and garner new meanings over time, as seen in the sculpture works Comb (red) and Comb (black) 2009. Hutchinson’s comb sculptures continues threads of feminist concerns from an indigenous perspective and alludes to the discord between western and indigenous perceptions of beauty. This is evident in Comb (red) where six Black Pearl motifs are cut into a comb sculpture, which bears resemblance to similar types of combs worn by Pacific women. Hutchinson toys with the notion of hair as both a symbol of restraint-through the comb form and a symbol of defiance evident in Black Pearl’s distinctive Afro (and body hair) and provocative positioning. Here, Black Pearl represents all indigenous women to draw parallels to hair as another part of the female body that symbolises restraint and control within dominant male culture. Feminist theorist and activist Bell Hooks argues that the act of straightening naturally curly hair is a gesture fundamentally linked with
Part of Hutchinson’s revisionist approach is aided by a self-created visual language which consists of motifs like the elusive female spectre-turned-protagonist, Black Pearl. In her original incarnation in the moving image work Black Pearl 2004, Black Pearl collectively references the Aboriginal and Pacific women enslaved in prostitution as part of the Pacific pearling industry during the late 1800s-1900s.
assimilating to dominant white appearance. Hutchinson aligns Black Pearl within local and global feminisms by giving her an Afro, which is known to be a sign of cultural resistance to racist oppression and is equated with political militancy. An added dimension in Hutchinson’s practice is her ability to transform readily available materials into artworks that speak across a number of concepts. Most notable are her artworks using heavy weight black builders paper such as Sister Girl 2005 where the innate and formal qualities of black builders paper is pushed further. In this installation Hutchinson’s use of craft knives to skillfully cut into black builders paper creates intricate designs that manipulate the paper’s form and duly pays homage to art forms specific to Māori and Pacific women such as tukutuku, taranga, hiapo and tivaevae. Sister Girl consists of many small artworks made from black builders paper that are folded and protrude from the wall like hanging veils. The lace-like quality of Hutchinson’s designs is comparable to the uses and cultural significance of lace in Samoan culture as a form of beautification of the home and the body. Sister Girl makes reference to some of Hutchinson’s own childhood memories of Sunday Mass, the two Mary’s (The Virgin and the prostitute), and stations of the cross. The artist’s personal memories also speak to wider material concerns where lace is embedded in significant rites of passage specific to feminine experience such as baptisms, marriage or death. As an artist unafraid to delve into narratives within Māori and Pacific Island history - some harrowing and some spiritually uplifting- Lonnie Hutchinson’s practice is highly charged, not only by spectres but also by an unyielding notion of indigenous female solidarity. Hutchinson’s commitment to indigenous feminine discourses and representations throughout her practice has exorcised omitted narratives of the past, ultimately proving that the repressed can never be obliterated. As suggested by Derrida, we cannot control the comings and goings of spectres, as it begins by coming back. Indigenous spectres of the past that are repressed through literature, representation and historical events return through Hutchinson’s practice to unsettle, contest and empower what was once repressed. I leave you here with lyrics from the song Black Pearl covered by Moana and the Moa Hunters that metaphorically and eloquently articulate the assertions of indigenous feminisms in this writing piece: Black pearl precious little girl let me put you up where you belong. Black pearl pretty little girl you’ve been in the background much too long.
In this work Hutchinson uses stop motion to bring to life drawings of women and her cut-out designs made from black builders paper (a
Faka’apa’apa atu Ane Tonga Lonnie Hutchinson, Comb (red) (2009)
tautai news
Talofa Lava
T
he year is drawing to a close and we do not seem to have had a quiet patch in 2014 – which is great of course. There is not a week that goes by that does not have something involving a pacific artist, be it theatre, music, visual art . . . the explosion of pacific talent throughout the arts is endless! Some notable awards this year include Luke Willis Thompson being awarded the Walters Prize and Kalisolaite ‘Uhila one of the four finalists, Anapela Polataivao and Vela Manusaute recognised with a major Arts Foundation Award, and of course the annual Creative New Zealand Pasifika Art Awards were a wonderful line up of talent and inspiration. Congratulations to you all. As the first year of Creative New Zealand Pasifika Internships comes to an end the three interns for 2015 have now been selected from another long list of talented applicants. They are Jodi Meadows (Wellington based, interested in curating), Faith Wilson (Wellington based, creative writer), and Joy Vaele (Auckland, production). We are still discussing host organisations and look forward to getting them all settled into their internships next year. The initial group of Grace Taylor, Amiria Puia-Taylor and Paul Fagamalo all had such great experiences this year. This is a wonderful initiative and great investment for the future and Tautai is very pleased to manage this program for CNZ. Also in regard to internships, Tautai is delighted that Louisa Afoa has been selected as the third Artspace/Tautai Education Intern. This is
another very valuable development opportunity and Tautai is particularly pleased to have this relationship with Artspace. We acknowledge former Artspace director Caterina Riva for initiating the project and thank the new director Misal Adnan Yıldız for being enthusiastic about continuing this cooperation between Artspace and Tautai. Another recent appointment from a group of talented applicants was that of Leuli Eshraghi who is to be the next Tautai Artist in Residence. Leuli is an Australian based (Samoan/Persian) artist, curator and researcher and he will be in Auckland in February 2015 and is very keen to build contacts in the Tautai community while he is here. As well as making appointments we have actually being doing other things in the last quarter. At the beginning of October another in the Fresh Horizons workshops for secondary students was held in Hastings hosted by EIT. Later that month Tautai OFFSTAGE6 curated by Ioana Gordon Smith took place as part of the inaugural Whau Festival. Very exciting performances and video works happened in shipping containers in a disused carpark in Avondale with an engaged and enthusiastic audience present. The seventh annual Tautai Tertiary Exhibition was launched at Silo6 on 4 December. Curated by Daniel Michael Satele “The Drowned World” is an online exhibition with work by seven current students. Many thanks to Josh Robson for building the fabulous website and to Waterfront Auckland for giving us the use of Silo6 where we
were able to show the work for three days and hold a great launch. Congratulations and many thanks to Daniel for all his work and thank you too to the artists for your commitment. Tautai is very pleased that with the online format proposed by Daniel we were for the first time able to include students from outside Auckland in the program. It was great to bring the two students from Wellington and one from Christchurch to join the four from Auckland for the launch and associated activities. Professional development is always a part of the Tautai Tertiary Exhibition and this year Mark Amery and Jeremy Leatinu’u led the critique session and Mark also held two writing workshops. More professional development was facilitated through the annual tertiary “Life After Art School” day. For more established artists Tautai organised in December a presentation by legal expert Raymond Scott on Intellectual Property which proved to be most informative and very well received. 2014 has certainly felt like a year run at full pace with pacific art and artists appearing on every stage. Congratulations to all you talented creative people and thank you for enriching our lives. Thank you also to the Tautai team and board for all your work this year in support of them – and here is to a short rest and then into 2015 with equal enthusiasm. From everyone at Tautai, very warm wishes for a safe and happy festive season ia soifua ma ia manuia Christina
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it’s a wrap C
HEEHOO!! Schools out!! I still remember my own feelings of joy and elation after I had completed my studies. First on my wish list was to catch up on sleep. Then after that, I wanted to sleep some more. But this article isn’t about me, so let’s move along. First of all, high fives and congratulations are in order for all the students and their achievements! It has been a fantastic showcase of hard work, ingenuity and deep thought processes. For some though, it has been a struggle and for those of you who have gone through tough times and still battled on with assignments, exams and projects, hats off to you my friends. The images you see with this writing are not only the result of hard work but also evidence of the support and love that these students received, especially from those nearest and dearest to
them. Elam Master of Fine Arts student, Sione Faletau’s end of year piece, which is now part of the University of Auckland Art Collection, is a powerful demonstration of the love, strength and support that one can find within the family circle. However not everyone has the luxury of receiving support at home. So how can you overcome that obstacle? My advice is to create your own support system, tailor it to your needs, and remember to always leave room for growth. For the students who will be carrying on with their education next year, please remember – get involved. Whether it’s with your peers or networking with people from other disciplines, get out there, have fun and explore. It is easiest to do this within the tertiary system because you have resources available and usually for free! Tip: Getting involved will also build a wonderful
Sione Faletau, Tokoua (2014), Elam Graduate Show
support system and foundation which will strengthen over time, if you keep working on it. This is what is going to help get you through that tough time when all your studies have finished and the world outside your Uni comfort zone seems to leer at you. So once again, massive congratulations to those who have finished up and now have their Masters/Degrees/Diplomas! Wishing everyone an amazing Summer (when it decides to start) and enjoy down-time with family and friends. Relax and have fun, you’ve definitely earned it! Tautai are eagerly anticipating what 2015 has in store for you all. Thank iu tumas and by lookim iufala evriwan. Reina Sutton Tautai Tertiary Liaison Auckland 2014
John Vea, Caution Cleaner (2014), AUT Graduate show
urban drift U
rban Drift is an exhibition at Papakura Art Gallery curated by artist, writer and curator Ane Tonga. The exhibition reflects shifting experiences of people, particularly during a time when Māori migrated from rural to urban centres post World War II. This was a time where many Pacific migrants also moved from their homeland or Island to Aotearoa. The attraction for such migration was the prospect of work, education and adventure. Contributing to the exhibition is a collection of artists, each broadening the discussion of urban drift by exploring concepts of site, labour, migration and issues of ownership and place.
mining shares similar notions of movement and stillness. However the difference here is the sacred bond shared between indigenous people and the whenua, a bond that is more rooted than just being still.
There is plenty to see and contemplate within this exhibition. Photographic work by Allan McDonald, Edith Amituanai and images from Alexander Turnbull Library archives make visible economic impacts to local business and migration within and outside of the Pacific. This can be seen through images of derelict gas stations, workers on factory floors, and Pacific decorated interiors within foreign landscapes. Among all three works you start to think about how movement and stillness influence one another; to migrate is to eventually be still and to recognise we have been still comes when time influences movement and change. Akura Makea-Pardington’s photograph of a maunga with a section of it carved out due to
Artists Leafa Wilson and John Vea present moving image pieces that see the artists use their body, the things around them while
Weaving many of the concepts in this exhibition is Catch a Sparkling Spirit, an oil painting by artist Andy Leleisi’uao and the only painting in the exhibition. With a graduation cap, blue overalls and a divide in skin colour Andy’s painting touches on many reasons why people migrate to other countries or urban areas; education, economic opportunity and new lifestyle.
following a specific process on and off camera. Both artists and their work reflect and will speak to people and families working in similar places and occupations. As a viewer they might also consider how employment determines bodily movements on a daily basis and over time what the impacts of this are on our body, health and well-being. Urban Drift is a carefully considered exhibition that engages, intersects and runs parallel with many concepts related to time, people, migration, labour, site and place. Visitors will connect with the exhibition, artworks and essay written by Ane Tonga on multiple levels, so definitely worth checking out. Exhibition closes 17 January 2015. Jeremy Leatinu’u
Edith Amituanai, The Blue Lagoon, Boniface, Spongebob (2008), Urban Drift, Papakura Art Gallery
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from across the ditch F
irst impression of Sydney: it is a very large Auckland. I have been here for five months now and I still have to check Google maps a million times to get anywhere. Finding my feet in a city where I do not know many people in the
arts scene has been quite hard and I will admit there have been times that I have been close to packing it in and moving back home. But, I persevere knowing that this is where I need to be right now. I have journeyed across the ditch to complete a six-month curatorial residency at Gaffa Gallery. Each month I have curated a show for a small space that I have named Take Care project space. Currently on show is Auckland based artist Selina Shanti Woulfe. Her show Bloodline Rituals is on until 22 December and is my final show as part of this residency. Selina’s work is always beautiful and thought provoking and I feel really lucky to be able
Racheal Brandon, Wish you were here (Photo courtesy: Talia Smith)
to be the first space to show this new body of work. I have shown my own personal work here in Sydney twice and will be curating a group photography show in Melbourne next year. These triumphs have not come without a lot of ‘what am I doing here? I can’t do this’ moments but with the end of the residency and my new part time role as Social Media and Marketing manager for Gaffa Gallery I have made some new networks and am looking forward to 2015 and what that will bring. Trans-Tasman domination plans are still always at the back of my mind I think that there are a lot of opportunities to collaborate between our two countries and this thought was one of the driving forces behind my move here. The teary skype phone calls to my parents don’t happen as often and I am slowly becoming a bit more comfortable in my new surroundings. I think 2015 will be a pretty exciting year and am looking forward to the challenges (but maybe not the weather). Talia Smith
offstage 6 G
ive a girl an abandoned car park, two shipping containers and ten artists, and somehow an exhibition appears. OFFSTAGE 6 curated by Ioana Gordon-Smith was the sixth annual exhibition of Pacific performance and moving image artists facilitated by Tautai. The exhibition was held at The Plantation which was also the homebase for the inaugural Whau Arts Festival (a week long arts festival celebrating the art and artists from the Whau area). The community of Avondale was not the usual OFFSTAGE 6 audience, but they were receptive, excitable and welcoming. Moving out of the usual white walled gallery home, the film work in OFFSTAGE 6 seemed to be transportive too. Talia Smith, Lucy ‘Aukafolau,
Louisa Afoa and a collaborative film by Natasha Matila-Smith, Salome Tanuvasa and Amy Weng coincidentally all documented a physical transportation of space in cars, buses, and aeroplanes. Projected alongside each other down a 40ft container, the films were almost visually seamless yet taking us on very different journeys. Louisa’s work referenced personal loss and a neighbourhood’s ability to store personal histories. Lucy explored how foreign our homelands can be for the New Zealand Pacific diaspora during her trip to her father’s homeland, Tonga. In contrast Natasha, Salome and Amy observed more local journeys on buses in Auckland’s CBD. The unorthodox space of shipping containers provided both a challenge
Louisa Afoa, Orion (2014), OFFSTAGE 6, Whau Arts Festival (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
and curatorial fullstop to this motion-laden exhibition. Ending the night with a literal bang was a performance by Olga Krause and Faith Wilson. The mother daughter duo played childhood games which are known for inflicting pain followed by the smashing of GIB board wall. The performance ended sitting in an ifoga position (a position of shame one adheres to when seeking forgiveness). The performance then shifted to Elisabeth Alani, her autobiographical spoken word poetry metaphorically lifted the tarpaulin allowing them to leave. A LindaT DJ set later OFFSTAGE 6 2014 was done. ia manuia Lana Lopesi
Leafa Wilson aka Olga Krause and Faith Wilson, Talepe | Kalepe (2014), OFFSTAGE 6, Whau Arts Festival (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
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nine months with artspace A
rtspace as an institution is dynamic and ambitious. The culture of the space relies so much on the dedicated team. Alongside its diverse programming this year it has been through shifts which at times were unsettling. Three different Directors in nine months I’m not sure that is a common experience but it is one I have learnt a lot from. The position description of the Artspace Education Internship speaks of a desire to foster connections between Artspace, its galleries and public spaces with a dedicated focus on secondary students and the wider community. I came into this role after a few years of working full time at ecostore, the family business. I had also shown in and curated exhibitions while working on projects as a part of D.A.N.C.E. art club. Making art more accessible to wider audiences underpins many of D.A.N.C.E. art club’s projects, so the Artspace internship was a great opportunity to build on this idea. It was exhilarating applying the same rigour
and professionalism I needed to launch a brand campaign or product at ecostore but at Artspace there were different problems to solve. Like how to attach a large periscope to the side of the building, or what are some of the safety protocols needed for someone to suspend their body from one end of the gallery to the other?
to the talented Louisa Afoa. Thank you to too many people to name for the incredible support during this time. It wouldn’t have been possible without you all. Ahilapalapa Rands
There is a lot to take away from the last nine and half months. In addition to the education role I was also able to curate an exhibition in the space titled W e l c o m e. I can now breathe properly around large groups of teens! Taking a group of fourteen year olds to an exhibition and finding ways to make connections with art is fulfilling work. It is a collaborative effort, really all you’re doing is creating a safe space where they can constitute the work through discussion and making. They have the creativity and the curiosity already; it’s just finding the right entry points. The education program is something I really believe in and am so excited to be handing over Ahilapalapa Rands and Louisa Afoa (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
the drowned world Tautai Annual Tertiary Exhibition 2014 the-drowned-world.com
F
rom shared stories of my water birth in our South Auckland family home twenty four years ago, I have always been intrigued with how water can facilitate and bear witness to some of lifes most intimate cultural and social practices. This was the question posed by curator Daniel Michael Satele for the 2014 Tautai Tertiary Exhibition The Drowned World. The launch event for the online exhibition was recently held along Auckland’s waterfront at Silo 6. Each soaring cathedral-like cylindrical drum felt like a private viewing chapel, where each work had the ability to hold its own space. From the double-edged playfulness of works drenched in sobering humour, Elyjana Roach The City that Waits and Sara Riordan Death of Aquaman, through to the sublime reverence for the force of water in both Nina
Oberg Humphries and Lesieli Finau’s video pieces, the physical space allowed each work to be connected. Moving through a rhythm of small over-arching concrete doorways, viewers could see a dialogue within the process and recorded experience. The body’s relationship with water and site is explored in both Salome Tanuvasa’s Untitled and in my own Lost Content & Birthwaters. Community, conversation and continuity of ancestral connections are investigated through the lively recordings of Luisa Tora with Joana Monolagi Na qio! Na qio! (A shark! A shark!). As a collection of seven artists, each residing in geographical areas spanning Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The works seem to fluidly connect and depart from one another, anchoring and mirroring the multitude of ways with which water can be experienced, explored and understood.
Jasmine Te Hira
Daniel Michael Satele opening The Drowned World launch at Silo 6, Wynyard Quarter (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
As an online exhibition each body of work is further extended and pushed, challenging our individual practices beyond the physical and into the realm of the virtual. Water as a theme has almost taken on, in extension, a metaphor for the contemporary art scene. The physical boundaries that see us parted by waterscapes as countries, homelands and states can also be seen as the public and private viewing spaces for art which have housed, and controlled, the dissemination of art. Our connection to art in the face of the Internet and its ability to disperse knowledge has recontextualised how we as viewers might associate with water, explored notions and thematic concerns. This internationally accessible exhibition has alone prompted more room for thought, not only of water and its presence in our lives but also the shifting tides in the locality of art and its existence beyond a physical exhibition.
Work of Jasmine Te Hira (foreground) and Luisa Tora (background), The Drowned World Silo 6, Wynyard Quarter (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
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awesome O
ne would think that having spent a year reading and writing poetry I’d have a more interesting way to describe the year that’s just passed, but I keep coming back to ‘awesome’. The awesomest experiences have been: Meeting the Auckland tertiary students on their
annual roadtrip down here to Wellington. Each person brought a different element of awesome to the trip. We spent the day going to different art galleries and ended it with dinner and drinks at the backpackers: belated apologies for my really bad sense of navigation and general ignorance of the location of most Wellington sites. I hope I made up for it by showing you all a good time on the town! Meeting some really cool Wellington tertiary students. There is SO MUCH talent down here, and I’m continually surprised by the innovation and intelligence that students continue to produce, two of whom produced brilliant pieces of art to show in the annual Tautai tertiary exhibition. Which leads us to my final awesome experience: attending the opening of the Tautai Annual
Catherine Hunt and Faith Wilson
Tertiary Exhibition The Drowned World recently. Words can’t describe how cool this was. Each artist responded to the brief in such unique but stimulating ways. Huge thanks to Team Tautai for making my experience amazing and warm. You’re all such wonderful people, and I really feel like I’m part of the Tautai family now! I’m sad to be leaving the job, but once you’re part of the family, you never leave! My replacement Catherine Hunt, a Victoria University Design student, is a more than worthy, totally top notch artist and curator. She runs Elbowroom gallery with friends, and they’ve recently opened a new exhibition Concoction. Alofa atu Faith Wilson Tautai Tertiary Liaison in Wellington 2014
Patron: Fatu Feu’u Board of Trustees: Janet Lilo and Siliga David
Team Tautai: Christina Jeffery (Manager), A.D. Schierning (Programmes and Engagement), Elisabeth Alani (Arts Administrator), Lana Lopesi (Digital Media), Reina Sutton (Tertiary and Volunteer Support), Faith Wilson (Tertiary Liaison Wellington), Maria Waterhouse (MatouTatou)
Setoga (co-chairs), Ron Brownson, Jeremy Leatinu’u, Chris Merrick, Stephen Roberts, Nina Tonga Treasurer/Secretary: Colin Jeffery
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gallery
Niuean choir MUMT opening for Tau Tupua at Britomart as part of Artweek (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
Kolose: The Art of Tuvalu Crochet 2, Lake House Arts Centre, Takapuna (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
John Vea, Import/Export (2013) (foreground), Janet Lilo, Little Texts (2014) (wall), Making Visible, Franklin Arts Centre, Pukekohe (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
Salome Tanuvasa, Untitled (2014), Elam Graduate Show
LindaT, Pacific set (2014), OFFSTAGE 6, Whau Arts Festival, Avondale (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
Siliga David Setoga opening performance, The Drowned World, Silo 6 (Photo courtesy: Tautai)
(Photo courtesy: Natasha Matila-Smith)
PO Box 68 339, Newton, Auckland, 1145 Studio One Toi Tu, 1B Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland Phone: 09-376 1665 • Fax: 09-376 1825 Email: tautai@tautai.org • Website: www.tautai.org
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events and exhibitions january | february | march 2015 11 October 2014 – 5 January. Life is A Vapour. Tiffany Singh and Robert George. Esplanade, Singapore 14 November 2014 – 10 January. Poly Typical. Curated by Tanu Gago. Includes Mario Faumui, Amanaki Prescott-Faletau, Jaycee Tanuvasa, Luisa Tora, Pati Solomona Tyrell, Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland South 22 November 2014 – 17 January. Urban Drift. Curated by Ane Tonga. Includes Andy Leleisi’uao, Edith Amituanai, John Vea and Leafa Wilson aka Olga Krause. Papakura Art Gallery, Auckland South 5 December 2014 – 18 January. Works on Paper: The Annual Affordable Art Show. Includes Elisabeth Alani, Kenneth Merrick. Corban Estate Arts Centre, Auckland West 7 December 2014 – 2 March. Ko e Hala Hangatonu: The Straight Path. Ruha Fifita and Robin White. Pataka Art + Museum, Porirua, Wellington 10 December – 24 January. Mono, Duo. Includes Josh Bashford. The Diversion Gallery, 10 London Quay, Picton Waterfront 11 December 2014 – 7 February. Life is A Vapour. Tiffany Singh and Robert George. Te Uru Gallery, Titirangi, Auckland West 13 December 2014 – 15 February. The Drowned World. Curated by Daniel Michael Satele. Lesieli Finau, Nina Oberg Humphries, Sara Riordan, Elyjana Roach, Salome Tanuvasa, Jasmine Te Hira, Luisa Tora. The Physics Room, Christchurch 20 January – 9 February. New Works. Chris Charteris. Milford Gallery Summer Show, Milford Galleries, Dunedin Until 4 January. Foreign Exchange (or stories you wouldn’t tell a stranger). Luke Willis Thompson. Weltkulturen Museum, Germany
10 – 31 January. The Drowned World. Curated by Daniel Michael Satele. Lesieli Finau, Nina Oberg Humphries, Sara Riordan, Elyjana Roach, Salome Tanuvasa, Jasmine Te Hira, Luisa Tora. Enjoy Public Gallery, Wellington 10 – 31 January. Between wind and water. Curated by Ema Tavola. Includes Leilani Kake, Tanu Gago, Luisa Tora. Enjoy Gallery, Wellington 16 January – 23 February. Close to the Heart. Chris Charteris. Waiheke Community Art Gallery, Waiheke Island, Auckland 20 January – 3 February. The Drowned World. Curated by Daniel Michael Satele. Feature artist Lesieli Finau. View Finder Nga Taonga Sound & Vision, Auckland 23 January – 15 February. Headland Sculpture in the Gulf. Includes Lonnie Hutchinson and Ioane Ioane. Waiheke Island 24 – 25 January. Michel Tuffery/Flox Workshop. Includes Michel Tuffery. Bookings www.pataka. org.nz 27 January – 14 February. Loops and Lines. Kenneth Merrick. Whitespace, Auckland 30 January – 14 March. Ebbing Tagaloa. Paula Schaafhausen in collaboration with Ole Maiava and Daren Kamali. Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland South 4 – 11 February. O la aitu laitiiti We have always been here. Léuli Eshraghi. Cell Block, Studio One Toi Tū, Ponsonby, Auckland 4 – 18 February. The Drowned World. Curated by Daniel Michael Satele. Featured artist Nina Oberg Humphries. View Finder Nga Taonga Sound & Vision, Auckland 9 – 15 February. Girl On A Corner. Written by Victor Rodger. Tickets from www.iticket.co.nz, Basement Theatre, Auckland
11 February – 4 March. Cell Block Residency. Includes Christian Wolfgramm and Talia Smith. Cell Block, Studio One Toi Tū, Ponsonby, Auckland 14 February – 11 March. New Works. Includes Andy Leleisi’uao. Milford Galleries Dunedin 14 February – 26 April. Nuku | Symbols of Mana. Includes Tui Emma Gillies, The Dowse Art Museum, Wellington 19 February – 5 March. The Drowned World. Curated by Daniel Michael Satele. Featured artist Jasmine Te Hira. View Finder Nga Taonga Sound & Vision, Auckland 28 February – 7 March. A’oga Hutt. Facilitated by Lana Lopesi. Performances by Atapana Meleisea, Faith Wilson, Leafa Wilson aka Olga Krause and Darcell Apelu. Common Ground Arts Festival, Lower Hutt, Wellington 2 March – 31 May. Tungaru: The Kiribati Project. Chris Charteris and Jeff Smith. Pataka Art + Museum, Wellington 4 – 22 March. Auckland Arts Festival, various venues around Auckland 4 – 22 March. Faleula. Niki Hastings-McFall. Timeout Festival Garden, Aotea Square, Auckland 4 – 28 March. Pacific Materiality. Curated by Natasha Matila-Smith. Includes Salome Tanuvasa, Kenneth Merrick, Claudia Jowitt and Atapana Meleseia. Studio One Toi Tū, Ponsonby, Auckland 6 – 7 March. I AM. Lemi Ponifasio and MAU. ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland 7 March – 2 May. Blackbird 1997-2013: A Survey. Lonnie Hutchinson. Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland 12 March. Falesā. Concept by Nathaniel Lees includes John Pule, Ingelese Ete, Bill Urale. Loft Q Theatre, Auckland 20 March – 2 May. Not to Speak Is To Speak. Gary Silipa. Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland South 21 March. Cultivate. John Vea. Wynyard Quarter, Waterfront Auckland
Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust receives major public funding from Creative New Zealand and also receives significant funding from ASB Community Trust and generous support from our Fetu Ta’i donors Rose and John Dunn • Adrian Burr and Peter Tatham • Art + Object • Ema Aitken and David Galler • Kriselle Baker and Richard Douglas • Ben Bergman • Rosie Brown and Graham Wall • Sherry and Gary Butler • Jenny and Rick Carlyon • Joanna and John Chaplin • Angela and Mark Clatworthy • Virginia and Stephen Fisher • Dame Jenny Gibbs • Antonia Fisher and Stuart Grieve • Dayle and Chris Mace • Kristen Flannery and Greg Moyle• Jason Friedlander and Aaron Tindell • Jo and Terry Gould • Jo and John Gow • Josephine and Ross Green • Cathy and Michael Hapgood • Anne and Peter Hinton • Geri and Richard Martin • Kathy and Bill Peake • Peter Webb Galleries • Fran and Geoff Ricketts • Jenny and Andrew Smith • Karen Spires and John Harman • Kit and Pip Toogood