This Is Not a Love Song

AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL and Artstation

MEDIA RELEASE

22 February 2006

This Is Not a Love Song

Leading and emerging contemporary Pacific artists challenge exotic notions of the Pacific in This Is Not a Love Song at the Artstation Gallery from 16 March to 1 April 2006.

Artist Eimi Tamua curates the group exhibition to coincide with Auckland City's Pasifika Festival.

"This Is Not a Love Song looks at demystifying romanticised and exotic notions of the Pacific. The artists in the show use contemporary art as a way to examine and engage with their Pacific culture," says Ms Tamua.

This Is Not a Love Song features a range of New Zealand's leading contemporary Pacific artists including Ani O'Neill, Lonnie Hutchinson and Andrea Low alongside emerging Pacific artists such as Jacob Sua, Nooroa Tapuni and Ms Tamua.

This Is Not a Love Song includes:

- Angela Gribbin's split screen video work, 'In Your Absence', which examines the tensions surrounding the ending and beginning of a relationship.

- Lonnie Hutchinson's 'Midnite en mass', a new series of 21 drawings.
- Otara based artist Jacob Sua, who creates pacific patterns digitally then screen prints the patterns onto canvas.

- Eimi Tamua continues her sculptural exploration of the New Zealand state home, constructing a two- storey state home in miniature.

- Fijian artist, Ema Tavola's large-scale stag cut outs originally shown at the Otara Markets make their way into the Artstation Gallery.

Artstation Gallery's This Is Not a Love Song exhibition is just one of 42 activities that make up Celebrate Pasifika, a cross-regional initiative between Auckland City, Manukau City and Waitakere City which seeks to build and promote the celebration of Auckland's pacific cultures.

For the full programme of Celebrate Pasifika activities, please visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/celebratepasifika

This Is Not a Love Song exhibition information:
Artists: Angela Gribben, Lonnie Hutchinson, Andrea Low, Itamia Nikalao, Ani O'Neill, Seliga Setoga, Jacob Sua, Eimi Tamua, Nooroa Tapuni, Ema Tavola

Curator: Eimi Tamua
Exhibition: 16 March - 1 April 2006
Opening: 5-7pm Thursday 16 March 2006

Artstation, Auckland City's community visual arts facility, is located at the old police barracks at 1 Ponsonby Rd, Newton. It is easy to get to by public transport with the Link's 'Artstation' bus stop right outside.
Web address: www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/artstation
Artstation gallery hours: Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm
Sat 10am to 4pm

ENDS

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