Talofa lava and festive greetings,
2010 has been a very busy year for me especially with international travels for projects including residencies, exhibitions, commissions, public performances and a rewarding acquisition to top it all off!
My special thanks for 2010 go out to the warm-hearted grassroots communities who participated in the Talanoa: Walk the Talk performance series staged in Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne.
Follow this link to the TV news article about ‘Talanoa: Walk the Talk VII’ performance project (in collaboration with Dumbai Dancing Group of Sudan and Te Roro n Rikirake Kiribati Youth Group, commissioned by Multicultural Arts Victoria Melbourne for Emerge Festival 2010) produced by the Pacific Pulse program on Australia Network TV.
Soon I’ll be back in Sydney to start the pre-production for my upcoming interdisciplinary project entitled BRING YOUR GAME Hip Hop Summit.
BRING YOUR GAME Hip Hop Summit is part of a major 3 year project entitled Edge of Elsewhere commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art for Sydney Festival 2010, 2011 and 2012. Edge of Elsewhere, curated by Lisa Havilah (Campbelltown Arts Centre), Aaron Seeto (4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art) and Dr Thomas Berghuis (University of Sydney), invites international artists to create work in collaboration with Sydney communities.
Highlights of projects for 2010
Here is the list of highlights of my projects I participated in this year:
Selected Group Exhibitions:
Last ride in a hot air balloon, 4th Auckland Triennial, curator Natasha Conland, Artspace,New Zealand
Edge of Elsewhere, curators Lisa Havilah, Aaron Seeto and Dr Thomas Berghuis, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, Australia
Samoan Art: Urban, curator Giles Peterson, The de Young Fine Art Museum of San Francisco, USA
UNNERVED; the New Zealand project, curator Maud Page, Gallery Of Modern Art, Brisbane touring to National Gallery of Victoria International, Melbourne, Australia
The Gaze, curator Mark Hutchins, Mark Hutchins Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
Niu Pasifik: Urban Art from the Pacific Rim, curator Giles Peterson, C.N Gorman Museum, California, USA
Voiceless, curator Dr Gene Sherman, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney, Australia
Tiaho (To Shine) – Contemporary Photography From Oceania, curator Giles Peterson touring Palacio Municipal de Ciudad, Instituto Latino de Mexico preparatoria and National Autonomous University of Mexico City, Mexico
Selected Performances/Theatre:
The Last Dance, dance theatre showing supported by Creative New Zealand Arts Council of New Zealand and Auckland Festival, TAPAC, Auckland, New Zealand
Talanoa; Walk the Talk VI, Commissioned by 4th Auckland Triennial and ARTSPACE, New Zealand for Last Ride On A Hot Air Balloon 4th Auckland Triennial
Talanoa; Walk the Talk V, Commissioned by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art for Sydney Festival, Sydney, Australia
Talanoa; Walk the Talk VII, Commissioned by Multicultural Arts Victoria for Emerge Festival, Melbourne, Australia
Culture Court, Supported by Multicultural Arts Victoria and National Gallery of Victoria International, held at National Gallery of Victoria International, Melbourne, Australia
Selected Public Speaking Engagements:
‘Pacific Thought Symposium’, MAU Dance Company and Sydney Festival, Sydney, Australia
‘Edge of Elsewhere’ Artist panel, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Sydney Festival, Sydney, Australia
‘Physical Freedoms; Explorations of the Body’, panel discussions, 4th Auckland Triennial, Auckland, New Zealand
‘In Conversation’, ARTSPACE, 4th Auckland Triennial, Auckland, New Zealand
‘Artist talk’, National Gallery of Victoria International, Melbourne, Australia
‘Artist talk’, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
‘Talanoa Forum’, part of Talanoa; Walk the Talk VII commissioned by Multicultural Arts Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
‘Industry panel’, Manukau School of Visual Arts, Auckland, New Zealand
‘Artist talk’, Whitecliff College of Art and Design, Auckland, New Zealand
‘Industry presentation’, New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Creative New Zealand Arts Council of New Zealand, New Zealand
Artist in Residence:
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, Australia
Multicultural Arts Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Grants:
Creative New Zealand Arts Council travel grant to participate in ConversAsians Symposium held as part of the Singapore International Arts Festival, Singapore
Creative New Zealand Arts Council grant to stage the dance production of The Last Dance supported by Auckland Arts Festival
Acquisition:
Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand
Selected bibliography:
Susan Bright, ‘AutoFocus; Self Portraiture in Contemporary Photography’, Thames & Hudson, UK
Tessa Laird, ‘4th Auckland Triennial Review’, Art & Australia
Christopher Allen, ‘Cheap Trick’, Weekend Australian Review, 22-23 May 2010
Maud Page, ‘Unnerved; New Zealand Project’ catalogue, Gallery of Modern Art, Australia
Allan Smith, ‘Last ride on a hot air balloon’ review, Art New Zealand / Number 134 / Winter 2010
Rebecca Rice, ‘Capturing the Gaze’ review, Art New Zealand / Number 134 / Winter 2010
Nicola Harvey, ‘Art World’, MindFood magazine, New Zealand
‘Talanoa; Walk the Talk VI’, Multicultural Arts Victoria, Melbourne
