Board of Trustees: Fatu Feu’u (Patron), Gina Cole (Co-Chair), Jim Vivieaere (Co-Chair), Loloma Andrews, Ron Brownson, Chris Van Doren, Joanna Gommans, Tui Hobson, Colin Jeffery, Melipa Peato Tautai Office: Lonnie Hutchinson (Tautai Manager), Edith Amituanai (Tautai Administrator), 1B Ponsonby Road, Stuido 3, Ponsonby. PO Box 44-224 Pt Chevalier, Auckland. Ph: 09-376 1665 • Fax: 09-376 1825 • Mob: 021-373 402

w w w . t a u t a i . o r g • t a u t a i @ t a u t a i . o r g O c t o b e r 2 0 0 5

Outside of Utopia

There always appears to be a heightened sense ofawareness when one approaches the spaces that

installation and performance artist Leafa Wilson creates inher art practice.

“I am looking for the utopia of perfect race relations - an idealand perfect place, where everyone lives in harmony andeverything is for the best. In this journey across borders Ioften find myself in liminal spaces where discomfort is themost evident state of being and a place that I feel mostcomfortable. This could be my utopia.”

Leafa Janice Krause/Wilson is an artist who situates herself at a culturalcrossing point and engineers cross-cultural exchanges as active performances ina particular time and space. She intervenes to bring groups of people togetherwho might not normally cross paths and asks us to hang out, to look at eachother’s work and to meet each other’s friends and family. These encountersalways take place in a contemporary art gallery, a group of four sparse whitewalls that are made brighter through these pieces Leafa forces us to engage in.

The exhibition “Sonderbare Namen fur Maedchen, Weird names for girls” atPlatform01 Gallery in Hamilton last year was such an event. Work ranged fromLisa Benson’s abstract minimalist installation, Janice Abo Ganis’ suite of threecontemporary photographic works, Andy Leleisi’uao’s crisp social commentary, topaintings by Jim Vivieaere and to Amit Charan’s poignant video performance. Wewere treated to a mingling of voices gathered from Leafa’s wide social circle.

“I wanted to see what results the disguise of using a German façade might bring.How might white academics, colonised New Zealander’s, social commentatorsrepresenting a Pacific viewpoint and a young Indian man from Fiji play together?I thought they were very well behaved, actually. Although I wondered why someof the artists agreed to be in the show.”

Best known as timber town, Tokoroa has also proved to be a cultural melting pot forthe arts. An exhibition entitled “Homeboy/homegirl ’04: Tokoroa Reprezent” wascurated by Leafa in August of that year. A broad range of works from craft to fine art,from writing to fashion, by Tokoroa artists explored issues of place and identity. Thecolourful ‘Toke’ pop art of Cynthia Kapene, the witty steel sculptures of Dan Buckleyaka Huffer, the beautiful tivaevae of 72 year old Patisipa Daniels and theextraordinary set designs of Vanya Crocker, are just some of the works in this diversedisplay. Originally from Tokoroa, Leafa set out to show how this group of artists hadbeen shaped by the unique cultural environment of this creative south Waikato town.

“When I came to think about all the people from Tokoroa that were involved inthe arts in some way it amazed me,” she said. “The name of the exhibition, eventhough it sounds quite ‘homey’ and certainly does draw on that hip hop/urbanPasifika thing, is really a reflection of what I call ‘Tokoroa regionalism’, acelebration of this thing we call ‘Tokoroa culture’. New Zealand has becomemuch more multicultural and each of these artists celebrates their identity, notthrough the landscape but through an urban setting, not a city but a small townreality. The town has shaped them and their thinking in some way, and they’recapturing what it’s like to come from this place.”

It is the conceptual side of her practice that is the mostimportant and she is driven to find new ways to challengeherself and other people, to delve into notions of inclusivityand exclusivity. Her name tells the story of her ancestry andreflects the uncomfortable spaces of inclusion and exclusionthrough the history of colonising practices and how thesepractices are represented to the world. Using herself as a siteof installation and her body as a vehicle to interrogate culturalexpectations, Leafa travelled as an invited artist to the“Narrating Colonial Encounters - Germany and the PacificIslands” conference at Washington State University. Her workwas a video piece that presented her own image to the

audience, which was made up of mainly white/German academics. As the onlyartist and one of two persons of Pacific heritage attending the conference,Leafa’s image was a reflection of the colonising gaze. Again.

I have the best time at Leafa’s choreographed events. There is such a range ofpeople to meet that I haven’t met before, and always a semblance of the familyhanging out at the art gallery. I enjoy the comfort/discomfort and sense ofdisplacement that often occurs. It is my place of being as well. Is it everybody’s?

Whilst continuing to practice as an artist, Leafa is currently Curator of ContemporaryArt at the Waikato Museum of Art and History in Hamilton, where she lives with herhusband and six beautiful children. As well as the shows discussed above, Leafacurated the acclaimed “Dolly(w)rapper mix” exhibition of Samoan woman alongwith Jakki Leota-Ete of Malaga and Ifoga fame. Her artwork has recently beenincluded in the Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust ‘destinations … ‘ show thatwas associated with the inaugural Auckland Art Fair 2005 and the Ramp Gallerygroup show, Duets in 2004. Duets was reconfigured at RM103 in Auckland earlierthis year. Other recent shows have been Twice Removed at RM103 with Janice AboGanis and a solo show at Platform01, Translation. By Janice Abo Ganis, 2005.

THIS ISSUE: Leafa Wilson, Chair Report, Postcard from Rarotonga, Letters to the Ancestors, PAA Conference, Fresh Horizons, Destinations, News From Christchurch , Events/Exhibitions

Artist Profile Leafa Wilson

ich helsse Olga Hedwig Krause: DeutscheKuenstlerin, dvd, as presented at‘Destinations’ 2005.

Detail from above work, showingLeafa/Janice Wilson.

Branding for Sonderbare Namen furMadchen 2004.

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Chair’s ReportNi sa bula vinakaThis is the third issue of the Tautai Newsletter for 2005.

The Board is pleased to advise that the Arts Board of Creative New Zealandhas again approved an annual operating grant to Tautai Trust to fund the 2006

programme. We thank Creative New Zealand for its continued support of ourorganisation. The annual funding from CNZ helps to sustain the existence ofTautai and enables us to deliver programmes in accordance with our aim offostering and supporting contemporary Pacific visual art.

We have also been fortunate in securing additional funding from the ASBCommunity Trust. This is the first time we have obtained funding from this sourceand we thank the ASB Trust for its support in providing funding to Tautai to assistus with running costs for next year.

As part of the Karangahape Road Fringe Festival in August/September this year,Tautai hosted a two week exhibition titled ‘Destinations’. The exhibition featuredtwelve artists and was held at the Methodist Church Hall on Pitt Street. Therewas a range of work which included installations, multi-media, moving imageand photography. Images from the exhibition are currently featured in the virtualgallery on the Tautai website.

We are continuing the work of updating the Tautai website www.tautai.org.Recent additions to the website include ‘drop downs’ on the home page whichwe are able to change and update ourselves and this allows us to be moreresponsive to events and news. Another addition to the website is a calendarwhich we envisage becoming the ‘one stop shop’ for information on exhibitions,events and important funding dates.

At the end of September Tautai conducted another series of workshops entitled“Fresh Horizons”. This one was held over two days at Pataka in Porirua. Twentyfive students took part in the workshops with tutors Dagmar Dyck, LonnieHutchinson and Michel Tuffery. Project Manager for Fresh Horizons Wellingtonwas Deborah White, director of Auckland dealer gallery Whitespace and afounding Trustee of Tautai. The weekend workshop culminated with an exhibitionof the students work and also artwork of the three tutors. The exhibition openedat Pataka with a function on the evening of Tuesday 27 September and willcontinue until 16 October.

This year Tautai is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its registration as acharitable trust. The occasion was marked at the annual general meeting heldon 1 October at Okra Café in Sandringham Road.

As always, thank you from me and Co Chair, Jim Vivieaere, and the rest of theBoard for your continuing support of Tautai Trust.

Ni sa moce mada – Gina Cole (Co Chair)

Postcard from Rarotonga

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Johnny working with Cook Islands Teachers Training College students.

The indefatigable Johnny Penisula is making the most of his time in the CookIslands as part of the CNZ/Cook Islands Residency. Johnny took some time out

to write us a card.

Kia orana from Raro,

I am having a great time guys, really enjoy being here with Ian andKay and working on the beach underneath their coconut trees,between workshops. One amazing night when I was sitting under acoconut tree looking at beautiful sunset, a big whale startedflapping around – have never seen anything like it – it was therefor about an hour so I think I am in heaven and am starting to lookfor my plot of land!

I have done three workshops so far, the trainee teachers, theTereora College and the carvers on the island of Mangaia. Thisweek, I’ll be with (CINVAS) Cook Islands National VisualArt Society.

Next week, I’ll be working on a commission carving for USP(University of South Pacific), then my exhibition at the end of myresidency.

The quality of the phonolite rock here is equal to the best argilliteback in N.Z. I really enjoy working with it. I also found a hardcolourful rock in Mangaia – I have to find it a name yet.

Take careAlofa tele mp outou.Johnny Penisula

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Letters to the Ancestors:Contemporary Indigenous Art from Aotearoa and the Pacific

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PAA Conference: Rarotonga

Leafa/Janice Wilson, Visual Art Concept Leader atthe Waikato Museum talks to us about an exhibitionseries that is coming up at the Waikato Museum.

The exhibition series Letters to the Ancestors is set to coincidewith the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education.

The curatorial premise is based upon the mythologicalwhakapapa of the all the children of Tangaroa; linked through thejourney from Hawaiikinui to Aotearoa. It is a metaphoricalexchange of catch-up letters from distant relatives to oneanother; centuries of news, disasters, hardships, triumphs andchange. The two exhibitions planned are ‘TUHIA KI TE RANGI:Visual Epistles of Contemporary Maori Art’, and ‘TJIBAOU: PacificUnseen: Unseen Indigenous Pacific Artists from the TjibaouCultural Centre, Noumea’. These exhibitions will celebrate,alongside WIPCE, the role of indigeneity and the role indigenousartists play as first nations role models.

Since the first group show of Maori contemporary art with the likesof Ralph Hotere, Fred Graham, Katerina Mataira, Cliff Whiting, ParaMatchitt and others, there has been an increasing interest in art asa vehicle for culturally educating a nation using visual language. Theselection from the Tjibaou is an invitation for the ancestors to visittheir relatives for the first time in the land of the long white cloud.Like their Maori ancestors, there is a concern for things of the spirit

and for the survival of a people. Director of Waikato Museum, KateVusoniwailala, is keen to celebrate the ‘abundance of creativity’from the indigenous peoples all around the Pacific.

A catalogue is also being produced which will become a livingdocument of the links to tangata whenua. Contributors includeJim Vivieaere and Brett Graham and will be edited by RobertJahnke. Artists from Tautai will also be taking part in theexhibition, but they do this in their capacity as tangata whenua,Lily Laita (Ngati Raukawa), Lonnie Hutchinson (Kai Tahu) andRichard Shortland Cooper (Ngapuhi/Ngati Hine) are in theexhibition TUHIA KI TE RANGI. They are living links of Maori tothe Pacific and the similarities that bind us together.

The opening day celebrations will be a collaboration between Maoriand Pacific communities from the Waikato region and will culminate inthe evening with what promises to be a most interesting paneldiscussion. The panellists will be Brett Graham, Jim Vivieaere, DrKonai Thaman, Professor Robert Jahnke and Leafa/Janice Wilson.

Leafa/Janice Wilson (Vaimoso/Alamagoto, Samoa/NZ)Curator, Letters to the Ancestors Series

TUHIA KI TE RANGI: Visual Epistles of Contemporary Maori Art andTJIBAOU: PACIFIC UNSEEN: Unseen Indigenous Pacific Artists fromthe Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea will be on show at the WaikatoMuseum 26th November – 6th February.

Giles Petersen, curator, art historian and lecturerrecently attended the PAA conference and sent usthis report (from under a coconut tree in Rarotonga!)...Kia Orana, hello from Rarotonga, via USA

The last few months have been a whirl. Done some writing,exhibited photography for the first time in an exhibition and

got even more involved with Tautai. Thanks Guys ! :). In July wentto - Los Angles, New York, Boston, Salem. Stayed with friends,checked out the art scene and galleries and also attended aconference. The Pacific Arts Association Conference at thePeabody Essex Museum was amazing. I presented a paper ‘FirstPast The Post - Pacific Art and the Post Post - Colonial’ which waswell received and it was a buzz to have Richard, Filipe, Fono andseveral other kiwi’s at the conference as well. Rosanna flew infrom England and did an amazing performance, followed by theU.S. based Mahina Women’s Movement - Wow. Roger Neich gotthe Lifetime Achievement Award. I got to meet some Americanbased Pacific artists - Dan and Jewel, and also Reggie fromAmerican Samoa and we had an amazing time. Carol Ivoryorganised for thirty five dancers and drummers to come from theMarquesas. There were several great parties that lasted well into

the dawn. Christine Hemmlich at the museum and Carol did asuperb job putting together a great programme. I can’t wait forthe next conference.

Now I’m busy doing work in Rarotonga. The weather is agorgeous 26 degrees, the sea is at my feet, the sun is hot. It’s apretty relaxing contrast but a hive of industry for many. Johnny iscarving up a storm, Ian is out placing artwork by students aroundRarotonga, Bianca is in the gallery, Kay is out the back handpainting a stunning new range of textiles, and I’m having a gin. :)I gave a public lecture and slide presentation at the Cook IslandNational Visual Artists Association on Wednesday whicheveryone seemed to thoroughly enjoy and which was reported inthe local media. I must say it is a buzz when you get such apositive response to what’s going on. My presentation was on thetheme of the impact of contemporary pacific arts on the globalarts market and also looked at my own curatorial practice. Thewomen artists at CINVAS are really kewl. I made great friendswith a lot of local artists and writers, as well as several visitingones. I’ve done lots of marking, met some wonderful people, it’sbeen a fantastic and productive visit.

Wish you were all here, Giles

John Ioane’s sculpture ‘kaha-malosi’ which has recently been installed outsideKotuku House, Manukau City.

Tautai receivessignificant annualfunding from:

ARTS COUNCIL OF NEW ZEALAND TOI AOTEAROA

44

Upcoming Events and Exhibitions

Design and layout of the TautaiContemporary Pacific Arts Trust NewsletterDesktop Graphics LtdContact: Tagi Cole

43 Selbourne Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland • Ph : 09 -376 3889 • Fax: 09-376 3969Mob: 027-482 6302 • desktopgraphics@xtra.co.nz

Until 8 October ‘subliminal shots’ Metuanooroa Tapuni. Artstation

17 – 23 October Johnny Penisula. The Art Studio, Arorangi

15 – 21 October ‘Tiki hosts Tangaroa’ An exhibition from RarotongaTe Taumata Gallery, Symonds Street.

14 Oct – 2 November ‘merge’ inc. Sylvia Marsters. Morgan Street Gallery, Newmarket

22 Oct – 21 December ‘Asian Traffic’ inc. Shigeyuki KiharaZendai Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai

Until 24 Dec ‘Eternal Thread’ incl. Lonnie HutchinsonHallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette Uni, Salem, Oregon.

Until 30 October ‘small world, big town: contemporary art from te papa’ inc. Ani O’NeillCity Gallery, Wellington

NOVEMBER

1 – 19 November ‘Gondawana Waka’ Sheyne Tuffery. Lane Gallery, Auckland

1 Nov – 1 Dec ‘Mrs Amituanai’ Edith Amituanai. Anna Miles Gallery, High Street.

8 Nov – 3 Dec inc. Ani O’Neill. Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland.

15 Nov – 4 December Nanette Lela’ulu. Salamander Gallery, Christchurch

12 & 13 November MSVA Open Days. MIT, 50 Lovegrove Cres, Manukau

26 November – 6 February ‘Tuhia ki te Rangi’ inc. Lily Laita, Lonnie Hutchinson, RichardShortland Cooper. Waikato Museum, Hamilton

DECEMBER

3 – 24 December Sofia Tekela-Smith. Bartley Nees Gallery, Wellington

10 Dec – 28 Jan Lonnie Hutchinson, Rueben Patterson, Sam TupouInstitute of Modern Art, Queensland

From 15 December ‘Lattitudes’ inc. Ani O’Neill, Niki Hastings-McFall, Ela To’omaga, PatriceKaikilekofe. Paris Town, France.

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Congratulations!Lonnie Hutchinson and John Ioane were chosen ‘unanimously’ by the Grey Lynn ArtworkReference Group to develop a sculpture for Grey Lynn. The proposed design, in the formof a heru, is for a site which is still to be finally decided.

• Held Wellington @ Pataka Lower Hutt. • Weekend workshop 24 and 25

September.• Exhibition of work on show until

16 October. • Twenty five school students. • Dagmar Dyck, Michel Tuffery and

Lonnie Hutchinson as tutors.• Deborah White project manager. • The following txt msg rcvd from Lonnie tells the story …

Wrkshp wnt xtremly well, studnts were gr8!

Settng up exhibit 2moro, Pataka been fab 2.

(Images and a report on the workshop will appear in the next newsletter)

For two weeks at the end of August the Pitt Street Methodist Church Hall took on a newpersona and became gallery space and host to ‘destinations …’ an exhibition that was part

of the fringe art festival associated with the inaugural Auckland Art Fair. Artists were asked torespond to this piece from a poem by Samoan poet Momoe Malietoa van Reiche.

‘Taxi 2016’Silently praying for destinations to materializeHe fans himself like a tourist in plastic shadesWhile gliding the dilapidated craft withOne hand, cruising – (he imagines a sleek silver Toyota orA smooth black Mazda, the towns popular models)In the back seatI listen to ‘sounds’ of ‘without music’ in silence …

‘Destinations’

News from Christchurch

Fresh Horizons

Stephanie Oberg has been catching up with Api Pulemau and Gallery Pasifika…

Gallery Pasifika first opened to the Christchurch public in an upstairs South City location. Oneyear later when the three month lease expired, owner operator Api Pulemau decided to find a

site which he felt might better serve his vision for the gallery to become a pacific ‘hub’-somewhere where people could congregate and find Pacific art, books, music, gifts and crafts, andeducational resources, all under one roof. As Christchurch’s first Pacific run Gallery, Api acknowledges, “A lot of our people are unfamiliarwith art galleries, I want them to have somewhere they feel comfortable to experiencecontemporary art.” Taking this into consideration Gallery Pasifika has relocated close to the beach,in Seaview Rd, New Brighton. Api states:

“Pacific people are people of the sea. The sea is the central focus of the village, not just fortheir livelihood, but Pacific people are voyagers too, and with the palm trees in the mall, NewBrighton almost looks like the islands.” In this setting Api exhibits local emerging artists andprovides a direct supply of traditional arts (tapa, jewellery, finemats, clubs etc) sourced throughtrade links in the Pacific. “For many years the Pacific communities in the South Island have hadlimited or no access to resources, mainly due to our distance from Auckland or Wellington,which is where most of these resources are accessed.”

Hoping to inspire some of his younger customers to think seriously about becoming artiststhemselves, Api exhibits local Christchurch artists such as Maria Ifopo (painter and printmaker)and Raphael Stowers (carver). Next year as part of an educational program Api (assisted bycommunity elders), will visit local schools to promote Pacific arts and culture. On show currently in Gallery Pasifika are works by Samoan based artist Vanya Taule'alo, MarkFa’avae, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Bantan Tavita Lolesio and Vanissa Robson.

Gallery Pasifika: phone: 03/3821 853 email pulemau@xtra.co.nz

Giles Petersen was at theopening and wrote ‘Aperception of ‘Destinations…’ – which can be viewedon www.tautai.org

To support PASIFIKA STYLES 2006Tuesday 25 October

Objectspace, Ponsonby Road7pm for 7.45pm Auction

Proceeds from the auction will support artists attending thePasifika Styles 2006 exhibition and festival being held atthe University of Cambridge, UK from April 2006. A numberof artists from Aotearoa/New Zealand will be travelling tothe UK to take part in what will be a major exhibition. Seehttp://www.pasifikastyles.org.uk/ for further information.Artists who have very kindly donated works to be auctionedinclude: Ani O’Neill, Lisa Reihana, Michel Tuffery, NatalieRobertson, Niki Hastings-McFall, Sheyne Tuffery, ShigeyukiKihara, Tracey Tawhiao, Wayne Youle, George Nuku.For more information contact: Shigeyuki Kihara dusky_geisha@email.com or Brenda Railey brenda.railey@aucklandcity.govt.nz

Our sincere thanks to Okra forproviding the AGM venue.

OKRA Coffee Lounge & Café, 161 Sandringham Road.

Auction!!