Samoan artists debut at Fresh Gallery Otara

Media Release
15 September 2006

Samoan artists debut at Fresh Gallery Otara

Award winning artists Shigeyuki Kihara and John Ioane will exhibit alongside promising local artist Genevieve Pini when the 'Tasi ae afe; One but a million' exhibition opens at Fresh Gallery Otara next week.

Shigeyuki and John are former recipients of Creative New Zealand Arts Council Awards while Genevieve won the Culture category of the 2006 Manukau Arts Photographic Competition held earlier this year.

Manukau City Council’s Pacific Arts Coordinator Ema Tavola is delighted that emerging Otara artist Pini has the opportunity to display her work alongside these exciting contemporary Pacific Artists.

“The exhibition gives Genevieve the opportunity to observe and share creative ideas and continue to develop and grow as an artist.

“It also a chance for the people of Manukau to see some great contemporary, provocative, Pacific art”, says Ms Tavola.

The artists are excited about placing their work in such a strong Pacific community. “The feedback generated from the exhibition will provide some really great grassroots response to their work” adds Ema.

WHAT: Tasi ae afe; One but a million
WHERE: Fresh Gallery Otara - Otara Shopping Centre
WHEN: Opens 19 September runs till 14 October
ENTRY: Free

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About the artists and their work:

Shigeyuki Kihara
Born in Samoa 1975, Shigeyuki has been exhibiting since 2000 and received the Creative New Zealand Arts Council Emerging Pacific Artist Award in 2003. Kihara has been a recipient of grants from organisations including the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania (ASAO) and the Queer Cultural Centre, both based in the USA.

Examples of her works can be found in the public collections of Waikato Museum of Art and History, University of Auckland and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.

Kihara’s work is currently being shown in the group exhibition ‘Pasifika Styles’ at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in the UK. Her ‘Vavau; Tales of ancient Samoa’ series 2004 will be exhibited in its entirety at the Gus Fisher Gallery of University of Auckland in October 2006. In May 2007, Kihara will be Artist-in-Residence at The Physics Room Contemporary Art Space, Christchurch.

John Ioane
John Ioane graduated with a BFA from the Elam School of Fine Art at Auckland University. He has work in the permanent collections of Te Papa Tongarewa and the Auckland Art Gallery. In 2005 he was awarded the Creative New Zealand Pacific Art Award for innovation and excellence; in 2004 he exhibited and performed in ‘Paradise Now? Contemporary Art from the Pacific’ at the Asia Society in New York.

Genevieve Leitu Pini
Genevieve Leitu Pini is a New Zealand-born Samoan from Otara, Manukau City. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts through the University of Auckland at Manukau, where she majors in jewellery.

Genevieve’s jewellery work and visual arts practice often references the form of her tatau (Samoan tattoo), known as malu (female tattoo). Her art practice investigates the marking of the body and body manipulation, Pacific custom, cultural performance and documentary photography.

ENDS

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