An icon of the Aotearoa entertainment industry, multi-award winning creative Teremoana Rapley presents her first solo exhibition, ‘ui, at Tautai Gallery from 26 February 2022.

Combining archival footage, live performance, music, interviews and digital art, ‘ui takes us on a journey of self-discovery and explores the three-decade long creative career of Teremoana Rapley, alongside reflections on her life as a mother, daughter, sister, grandmother and lover. The exhibition will share private reflections of her career and how she defines her creative life today as a ‘Black Moana Sovereign Storyteller’. Her journey culminating with her debut album, which has been 34 years in the making, ‘Daughter of a Housegirl’, set for release in March 2022. 

As a working mother of four, Teremoana has worked in almost every area of television, music and event sectors over the past three decades. At age 14, Teremoana joined the pioneering, politically conscious rap group Upper Hutt Posse, and later joined Moana and the Moahunters. She also gained popularity as a television presenter for What Now? and indigenous youth magazine show, Mai Time, before moving into television production. Under her own production company and as a producer for Māori Television, Teremoana has over 3,000 production credits. She has also worked in event production and more recently in cultural development with Auckland Council.  

Teremoana has collectively received the Taite Music Prize twice; first in 2016 with Upper Hutt Posse and then again in 2019 with Moana and the Moahunters. In 2018, Upper Hutt Posse received the Legacy Award and she was also inducted into the Aotearoa Music Hall of Fame. Teremoana is the only musician to receive all four accolades in New Zealand music history.  

She has been described as a “creative polymath”, to which she says, “I’m a ‘Teremoana of all trades’ – although it was not from privilege, but out of necessity to put a roof over our heads – to survive.” 

 “While accolades are nice, I have always been aware that there are many places and spaces that were never designed with me in mind – why is that?” says Teremoana. Through ‘ui, she will present a multi-dimensional commentary on the acceptance of toxic behaviour in the music industry and questions the terminology and meaning of “art and wellbeing” and “arts and culture”. She continues, “I am my music. But part of the challenge with any industry that relies on your unique creativity, is that you’re supposed to create a product that will be mass-manufactured. This is an industrial approach to art – and it doesn’t fit with me.” 

Tautai Director Courtney Sina Meredith says, “Teremoana Rapley is one of the most influential creatives and musicians working in Aotearoa today, like many of my generation – I grew up inspired by her tenacity and talent. We are honoured to have her at Tautai to share reflections on her immense and hugely successful career to date, as well as share more personal elements of her story for the first time, and all on the precipice of the release of her debut album.”  

‘ui by Teremoana Rapley will be presented at Tautai Gallery from 26 February until 26 March 2022.  

Exhibition details: 

Teremoana Rapley | ‘ui  
Saturday 26 February – Saturday 26 March 2022 

Tautai Gallery, Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road, Auckland Central 
Open 10am–4pm, Tuesday–Friday | 11am – 4pm, Saturdays 

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai is looking for handy people with a passion for Moana arts.

We are seeking Gallery Technicians to support the delivery of our 2022 exhibition programme. You will work closely with the Gallery Manager, our core team, suppliers when necessary, and various artists across multiple disciplines.

We are looking for people with technical and workshop skills regarding hanging artworks and fabrication of displays. A knowledge of a wide range of building materials and methods is essential. Experience of installing, handling and caring for artwork is highly desired.

The role would include:

• Supporting artists and/or curators during installation, display and dismantling of exhibition. 
• Safely unpacking items, arranging them for exhibit, and setting up sound and visual effects.
• Tracking costs of installing an exhibition
• Designing and building, furnishings and fittings for exhibitions
• Safely dismantling exhibition furniture and props and packing for storage or shipping

This support aligns with the exhibition schedule, with install periods occurring every 5 to 8 weeks.

Tautai is the home of contemporary Moana arts, we are privileged to work with an inspiring community of creatives and innovators who contribute significantly to the cultural fabric of Aotearoa.

Please get in touch for more information by emailing gallery@tautai.org.
#tautai4lyfe

We are excited to launch a series of limited-edition tote bags recycled from Natasha Ratuva and Hōhua Kurene’s exhibition ‘Inside the wave are ocean bodies’ (2020) curated by Cora-Allan Wickliffe, originally located on the Moana Wall on East Street, Tāmaki Makaurau.

The creation of this new series of bags sees the wall dispersed amongst the community, manifesting the collective action embodied by the original work. ‘Inside the wave are ocean bodies’ reflected on the Moana diaspora, dislocation and relocation, navigation and relationships between our people. The work formed a path both physically on East St and ceremonially through its creation and connections formed between Natasha and Hōhua, and between the artists and the community. Throughout the Pacific, the metaphor of a path is fundamental to the imagining of alliance and affinity.

Through the creation of the limited series of bags, the wall now evolves into its new life of celebration, exchange, reciprocity and prosperity. Once a 60 metre-long work, ‘Inside the waves are ocean bodies’ is now folded in on itself, seperated and locally manufactured into 124 individual pieces. With sustainability in mind, it was important to the artists to ensure that the wall has a kinder afterlife.

In the repurposing and distribution of the original work, Natasha and Hōhua reflect on the ceremonial use of barkcloth in the Pacific or masi as it is known in many Fijian dialects. Masi is essential in the protection of mana, often seen in celebrations; weddings; births; to lift mourning; as a doorway between the spirit realm and the physical; for welcoming voyagers; and countless other occasions. It is created collectively, shared amongst the community and valued as an item of reciprocation between families and kin.

In this new mode, ‘Inside the wave are ocean bodies’ is now offered to whanau, friends and community as a memory of the original work, and the convergence of idealising, talanoaga and observation.

• Limited edition of 124.
• Each bag is unique, order your favourite now for shipping on 10 January.
• Cut from PVC billboard material, the bags are water resistant and lightweight.
• Proceeds go to the artists, and a portion will go towards supporting the important work that Lifewise Merge Café does in the community.

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Manuia le Kerisimasi ma
le tausaga fou manuia!

From Team Tautai xx

Wishing you and your aiga a safe and wonderful holiday break and looking forward to coming back in the new year with an exciting programme of exhibitions and events!

Fa’afetai tele lava to everyone who has shown love and made this difficult year so special! 💚

Tautai Holiday Hours
CLOSING: Friday 17 December 2021
RE-OPENING: Monday 10^th January 2022

<< WHILE WE ARE CLOSED >>

Follow our wave:
Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |Twitter

Checkout the 10 amazing FALE-SHIP Residencies this year!

See more of the digital content for our current exhibition ‘Oh My Ocean’

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #followourwave #tautai4lyfe

Being an illustrator and comic book artist Michel continues to find himself on the periphery of the  “art scene”. To reflect this sentiment, he was excited to display 24 panels of his work on the Moana Wall, placing himself literally outside the gallery space for anyone to see.  Due to circumstances beyond his control, Michel is now showing a single panel inside the gallery.  

Hear Michel speak to this piece and share the story of the single “controversial” panel.  

“I guess a commentary on how white peoples’ inconvenience, is greater than black peoples’ lives. My work originally, was supposed to be showcased in 24 pieces, showcased on the Moana Wall and I was actually really excited for that, because as an outsider I really loved the idea of having my work outside the gallery and being kind of appreciated by anyone and everyone who was in the area” 

– Michel Mulipola

Read more about Michel’s work in Oh My Ocean below:

FOMO on OMO

Gallery Takes Stand Against Censorship Controversy

Video by NoSix
Watch the virtual tour from ‘Oh My Ocean’ here

@bloodysamoanart

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Update on ‘Oh My Ocean’ Artwork

Kia ora Tautai aiga,

It has very recently come to our attention that the genesis of an artwork in ‘Oh My Ocean’ has not been properly acknowledged. We would like to assure our stakeholders and the creative community that we are currently in meaningful talanoa with the artists involved and are working with them towards a collective resolution. Our priority right now is supporting these artists in that endeavor.

Mauri ola,

Team Tautai

CIRCUIT and TAUTAI are excited to announce an open call for the CIRCUIT 2022 Tagata Moana Moving Image Award.

This $7500 commission will support a Moana Pasifika artist based in Aotearoa New Zealand to create a new single channel moving image work that will be premiered at the 18th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) in September 2022. The selected artist will be supported to travel to the Festival. Funding dependent, the artist will also be supported to undertake a 2 week residency in the UK at Hospitalfield, Arbroath, designed to open up networks and professional development opportunities.

The premiere of the work in Aotearoa will take place at TAUTAI in 2022.  

The CIRCUIT 2022 Tagata Moana Moving Image Award is presented in partnership with TAUTAI and Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival, with the support of Creative New Zealand.  

Who can apply?

The CIRCUIT 2022 Tagata Moana Moving Image Award is for Moana Pasifika artists with an established practice in the field of artist moving image, who are motivated to meet an international network of peer artists and film-makers, connected by the global Moana.  

What form is expected of the new work?

The final form of the work should be imagined as a single channel screening for a cinematic context, either in a physical space or online. As the work is developed, the partners are happy to consider other potentials for presentation of the work (eg: installation, performance). However, in the first instance your proposal should be for a single channel video work that can be watched from beginning to end.

Please note that BFMAF will support the presentation of the work in the festival including, where necessary, technical support and equipment costs. 

How do I apply?

The open call seeks proposals that will enable the artist to produce a new work which represents a significant development in their practice.

Applicants should make clear in their application their production process for making the single channel video, and how it will be supported by the available budget.

Please send the following materials to Mark Williams (CIRCUIT) via director@circuit.org.nz by 5pm 20 January 2022:

– a bio, outlining your practice, and any significant achievements (1 page max)
– a headshot suitable for promo and publicity
– at least 2 online links to recent moving image works
– a proposal (2 pages max) detailing the work you propose to make, how and why this work represents a milestone in your practice
– a Production Budget detailing the costs towards producing the commission (please see fees below for budget details)

What is the deadline for applications?

5pm Thursday 20 January 2022.

Project budget and details

Fees paid to the artist

• $3000 Artist Fee
• $4500 Production Costs
• $2000 Home Fund

Related costs covered by project partners

• Airfare NZ-UK return
• Accommodation at Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival (5 days)
• Presentation/ installation costs 
• Accommodation in Hospitalfield, Arbroath  (10 days) / Glasgow (1 day) / Edinburgh (1 day) (Funding dependent)
• Transport (UK)

Pastoral care and support

CIRCUIT, TAUTAI and the BFMAF acknowledge the challenges of travelling and working far from home. We will work with the selected artist to ensure the artist has supportive networks in the UK, and ahead of the award, introduce the artist  via Zoom to the festival organisers. TAUTAI will also support this award with a $2000 Home Fund Award, to offset the costs incurred at home in the absence of the artist.  

Covid 19

The successful applicant must be double vaccinated against Covid 19. In the event of Covid 19 making the journey or festival unsustainable, the work will be shown as part of the festival’s online programme.  

Timeline

20 January 2022 – Applications due
25-30 January 2022 – Interviews
5 February 2022  – Announcement of the Award recipient
1 September 2022 – flight to UK
Mid September 2022 – return flight to Aotearoa

Who do I contact with questions?

Get in touch with Mark Williams director@circuit.org.nz. Please note that the CIRCUIT office is closed 20 Dec 2021-10 January 2022 and email responses in this time will be infrequent.  

About Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival

Based on the borders of England and Scotland, Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) is one of the UK’s leading festivals for artists’ moving image and new cinema.  Now in its 18th year, BFMAF is recognised for its 4 day festival of screening, installations, performances, workshops, and seminars alongside its work year round that focuses on supporting artists and filmmakers production, working with local young people and creating professional development opportunities locally and nationally. With over 12,000 visitors attending in person in 2019 and online in 2020, the Festival has become a keystone in the cultural calendar of the UK. 

About CIRCUIT

CIRCUIT is an arts agency based in Wellington, New Zealand. Our activities include curation, distribution and commissioning of works; as well as the commissioning of new writing and professional development opportunities for artists. We are the leading voice for representing artist image practice from Aotearoa New Zealand.  

About Hospitalfield

Hospitalfield is an arts organisation based in the coastal town of Arbroath in the North East of Scotland founded in 1901. Hospitalfield has an international reputation in the visual arts for our artist development programmes through residencies and commissioning.  

We are excited to share a digital preview of our latest exhibition ‘Oh My Ocean,’ curated by Nigel Borell and showcasing works by Tautai Fale-ship 2020 recipients.

‘Oh My Ocean’ is a light-hearted riff on the popular social media phrase ‘Oh My God’ (and its acronym OMG). The show’s name is a play on words, meaning and digital expression, but underneath the jest is a serious statement about Moana people and our integral relationship to the ocean as the centre of one’s world – of one’s identity. In this regard, it is a powerful reclamation of space and cultural renewal. 

We acknowledge the nine incredible artists that feature in ‘Oh My Ocean’: Rawiri Brown, Fa’amele Etuale, Ioane Ioane, Elisabeth Kumaran, Sani Muliaumaseali’i, Michel Mulipola, Iata Peautolu, Keva Rands, and Chris Van Doren. We would also like to acknowledge Nigel Borell, ngā mihi for your support in bringing this show to life. 

When coming to visit Tautai Gallery, you are required to wear a mask, sign in and present a vaccine passport. 

Video by NoSix

To stay up to date head to our Facebook and Instagram

Oh My Ocean runs from October 30 2021 – January 29 2022

Tautai Gallery, 300 Karangahape Road 
Auckland CBD 
Gallery hours: Tues – Sat 10am – 4pm  

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is thrilled to announce the recipients of the Fale-ship Residency programme 2021!

The 2021 Fale-ship Residency recipients are:  Elsie Andrews (visual arts), Etanah Falagā Talapā (visual arts), ‘Isope ‘Akau’ola (dance), Kalisolaite ‘Uhila (performance art), Kasi Valu (writer), Marina Alefosio (music/poetry), Sione Faletau (visual/sound art), Tai Nimo (visual arts), Warren Paea (photography), Teremoana Rapley (music).

In 2021, residency artists are also supported by Tautai’s new Fale-Ship Ambassadors: New Zealand Herald VIVA, Basement Theatre, The Big Idea.

Recipients will be showcased across Tautai’s platforms between October – December 2021, activating and nurturing the vā both digitally and physically throughout the community. 

We are so excited to see what these incredible Tagata Moana creatives have to share over the course of the coming months! Make sure to like this page and follow our Instagram to see each Fale-ship as they launch across our channels.

Tautai.org  #tautai4lyfe

Tautai’s Fale-ship Residency Programme returns in 2021 to support 10 creatives to make and develop new work from home.

Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is thrilled to announce the recipients of the Fale-ship Residency programme 2021. A Moana evolution of the word fellowship, the TautaiFale-ship residencies centre on the everyday making and thinking of Pasifika creatives operating in their own creative centres.

Initially developed by Tautai in response to Aotearoa’s 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, the Fale-ship Residencies provide support for a two-week residency for ten Tagata Moana creatives living in Aotearoa. The Residencies are open to all Pacific practitioners from across the arts and are granted by a selection panel of industry leaders.

The 2021 Fale-ship Residency recipients are: Elsie Andrewes (visual arts); Etanah Falagā Talapā (visual arts); ‘Isope ‘Akau’ola (dance); Kalisolaite ‘Uhila (performance art); Kasi Valu (writer); Marina Alefosio (music/poetry); Sione Faletau (visual/sound art); Tai Nimo (visual arts); Warren Paea (photography); and Teremoana Rapley (music).

Each artist receives a grant of NZD$2,000 to support the development of new or existing projects in their own creative centres. Residencies will take place over September 2021 and at the conclusion of their residency, each of the 2021 Fale-ship Residency recipients will be showcased across Tautai’s platforms between October – December 2021, activating and nurturing the Vā (the energy between) both digitally and physically throughout the community.

In 2021, the Fale-ship Residencies are also supported by new ambassador organisations: New Zealand Herald VIVA; Basement Theatre; and The Big Idea. Ambassadors are committed to supporting Tagata Moana Indigenous authorship through diverse and collaborative platforms.

Tautai Director Courtney Sina Meredith says, “The Fale-ships form part of a deeper kaupapa to bolster the creative expression of Moana artists during this time of great change. We worked hard to adapt our programme during the initial 2020 lockdown with meaningful offerings that I felt had the potential for real impact across the sector.”

The Tautai Fale-ship Residencies are generously supported by Creative New Zealand and Foundation North.

Meet the 2021 Tautai Fale-ship Residency recipients

Elsie Andrewes Visual arts

Elsie Andrewes is a digital illustrator based in Whangarei, Northland and is of Fijian and Pākeha descent. Her family immigrated to Aotearoa in 2000. Her interest in visual arts began through early exposure to her father’s collections of antiques, artwork and music from around the world, and her mother’s own archives of books, handcrafted mats, masi kesa and storytelling. These diverse influences heavily inspire Elsie’s practice, which draws from sources ranging from the detailed patterns of masi and photographs of the iconic Fijian sunset, to Motown music and literature. 

Etanah Falagā Talapā Visual arts

Born in Te Awakairangi (Hutt Valley), Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Etanah Falagā Talapā is a multi-disciplinary artist who hails from Afega and Falealili, Sa’anapu in Samoa. She currently lives in Petone, Te Awakairangi i tai (Lower Hutt). Etanah’s creative practice operates at the intersections of public installation, digital art, photography and mixed-media. Her work is inspired by her Pasifika community, her aiga and the people and landscape of her community, Awakairangi (Hutt Valley). Etanah graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Spatial Design from Massey University in 2018, has held a Tautai Oceania Internship at Tauranga Art Gallery and was an artist mentor in a youth-led programme at Taita and Naenae Clubhouse. She is currently Curator, Exhibitions and Public Programmes, at Enjoy Art Gallery, Poneke.

‘Isope ‘Akau’ola Dance

‘Isope ‘Akau’ola is a Tongan (‘Utulau and Lotofoa) performance artist who was born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau. He is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts majoring in Contemporary Dance. ‘Isope’s passion for dance originated from a love of Pasifika dance and theatre and he has worked with various artists and groups including Aloali’i Tapu, Sau e Siva creatives and Tanya Muagututi’a. As a child of the Pacific diaspora ‘Isope has found parallels within his own identity and the art that he wants to create and aspires to develop a practice for himself and his voice as a New Zealand-born Tongan artist.

Kalisolaite ‘Uhila Performance art

Kalisolaite ‘Uhila was born in the Kingdom of Tonga and lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau. His practice revolves around performance, making durational performance works that are often informed by his Tongan heritage. Tradition, masculinity and cultural bias are ideas that Kalisolaite explores. Through his performance works he often seeks to promote a sense of understanding and togetherness. Kalisolaite received a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Auckland University of Technology in 2010, followed by a Masters of Performance & Media Arts in 2016. He has received multiple residencies for his practice, including the Montalvo Arts Centre Residency, California (2018); Youkobo Art Space Residency, Tokyo (2018) and ZK/U & Ifa Galerie Residency, Berlin (2016). In 2014 he was selected as a finalist in the Walters Prize for his 2012 work Mo’ui Tukuhausia. In 2020 he was awarded the Harriet Friedlander Residency by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.

Kasi Valu Writer

Kasi Valu is a Tongan (Mau’ufanga, Lapaha) multidisciplinary performer, playwright and poet based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). Kasi was born and raised in Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makurau and moved to Wellington to pursue a career in performing arts studying at Toi Whakaari. Through writing and its translation into performance, Kasi explores the experience of being a child of the Pacific diaspora and aims to highlight the importance of art and storytelling for the next generation. Inspired by his community, Kasi creates in order to return the love that has supported him.

Marina Alefosio Music/poetry

Marina Alefosio is a proud Aotearoa-born Samoan storyteller hailing from the villages of Mulifanua, Falefa and Leauva’a. Marina has trained and performed as a performance poet, participating in and leading community and youth groups in performance and poetry workshops. She was a member of the critically acclaimed South Auckland Poets Collective and has performed both locally and internationally. Marina is inspired by her own children and the next generation, and wants to grow the Pasifika youth sector through creative methods such as spoken word poetry and scriptwriting.

Sione Faletau  Visual/sound art

Based in Ōtara, Tāmaki Makaurau, Sione Faletau is a multidisciplinary artist of Tongan decent, from the villages of Taunga and Lakepa. Sione explores the mediums of performance, video, drawing, sculpture, and installation, but more recently has shifted his practice towards the digital art realm. He explores the semiotics of soundscape and design, creating kupesi (patterns) from audio wave spectrums of sound. Inspired by his Tongan culture and heritage, Faletau uses art as a vehicle to deepen his understanding of self, his people, and the Moana at large. His previous works notion to traditional stories, myths and concepts inherent in Tongan culture and he has exhibited at a number of galleries and institutions. With a Masters in Fine Arts from Elam, Sione is currently completing his Doctoral studies.

Tai Nimo Visual arts

Māngere-based creative, Tai Nimo is a digital artist of Tongan, Niuean, German descent on her father’s side and Cook Island, American and Pākeha on her mother’s side. Inspired by her diverse cultural heritage, Tai creates works that reflect her identity and environment – her mediums include illustration, stop-motion animation and traditional drawing. Since Aotearoa’s first lockdown in early 2020, Tai has adapted to creating from home, sourcing new inspiration and embracing the environment around her. Tai is currently completing her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts at Elam.

Teremoana Rapley Music

Teremoana Rapley is an award-winning musician and a stalwart of Aoteroa’s Entertainment Industry. She has collectively received the Taite Music Prize twice; first in 2016 with Upper Hutt Posse and then again in 2019 with Moana and the Moahunters. In 2018, Upper Hutt Posse received the Legacy Award and she was also inducted into the Aotearoa Music Hall of Fame. Teremoana is the only musician to receive all four accolades in New Zealand music history. Over her career in music and television, Teremoana has worked across various disciplines including graphic design, moving image, costume-design, choreography, lighting design, set-design, sculpture, acrylic art and audio design. She is a multi-disciplinary and inter-dimensional creative, who provides space for an unhindered reconnection to her tupuna.

Warren Paea  Photography

Warren Paea is a Niuean visual artist currently living in Arch Hill/Grey Lynn and born and raised in Māngere East, South Auckland. He is a graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts and his practice spans photography, print and sound, with a particular focus on portraiture and street photography. Warren often takes candid and intimate photos of people, using the photographic medium to connect to or illustrate connections with various communities. His work captures and celebrates the depth of interconnectivity between people and explores the complexities of identity.

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

 2021 TAUTAI FALE-SHIP RESIDENCIES

<< APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED >>

Inspired by daily life, contemporary Tagata Moana art is in a constant state of flux and expansion. Making discoveries and stretching into what is possible, our artists are shaped by the people and places that give life to their creativity. Some of the best work is made around the busyness of family life: in the early morning, late at night when the kids have gone to bed, in living rooms surrounded by elders, and at home studios where Moana creatives feel grounded and connected to those that are most important.

We invite our community to share their practice as artists in residence over a two-week period, responding to global transformation through a localised lens. Experienced digitally but grounded in the physical, the 2021 Tautai Fale-ship Residencies place value on the everyday experiences of Moana artists operating in their own creative centres. In a model conceived in response to the 2020 lockdown, we now celebrate the Fale-ship residencies as a vital part of Tautai’s ongoing programme to champion Pacific creativity. 

This year we are excited to be collaborating with Fale-ship Ambassadors for the first time:

• Basement Theatre
• VIVA
• The Big Idea

Our Fale-ship Ambassadors are committed to supporting the indigenous authorship of Tagata Moana artists and each organisation brings a different strength to this opportunity. By expanding into our sector community – we are shaping a more expansive, meaningful, and collaborative platform.

This initiative aims to encourage connections through the digital Moana as we continue to navigate to a new sense of normal, acknowledging not only the challenges that we encounter but also embracing the opportunities presented through positive response to change. Flipping the paradigm of indigenous practitioners operating in mainstream centres for visibility, the Fale-ships take audiences with respect and alofa, to where our artists feel most powerful in their own sacred space.

APPLY NOW

Read the brief above. If you’re interested in the 2021 Tautai Fale-ship Residencies please submit your application by Monday 30 August at midday. Submit your proposal as a PDF or Word doc via the application form below. Or download the form here.

 Applications must include: 

• A short-written biography including your ethnicity/villages/identifiers and your practice. What inspires you? Where do you create and why?
• One-page outlining your two-week residency proposal. 
• 1 hi-res profile image of yourself and 5 hi-res images or links of your work (please label)
• A hi-res image of your creative workspace and the location of where the residency will take place (suburb and city) 

 For inspiration check out TAUTAI FALE-SHIP HOME RESIDENCES 2020 here.

Successful artists will receive NZD$2000, community connectivity, and a range of in-kind support from Tautai and participating Fale-ship Ambassador partners.  

<< APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED >>

TAUTAI Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust Annual General Meeting 2021

Tautai Gallery – Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road

Tautai AGM 2021 is on Monday 30 August, 6pm at Tautai Gallery.

UPDATE: Due to the current Level 4 Covid-19 restrictions, the Tautai AGM, previously advertised for 30 August, has been postponed until further notice. A new date will be set when Auckland returns to Level 2.

You are warmly invited to our Annual General Meeting on Monday 30 August at 6pm. The meeting will be held at Tautai Gallery – Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road, Auckland. All welcome!

Tautai AGM 2021 related content for download:

For further information please email us via tautai@tautai.org

Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Fa’afetai tele lava to our teina interns, tuakana mentors, and host organisations participating in the 2021 Tautai Oceania Internship Programme! We had a wonderful day connecting you all with each other, strengthening relationships and developing cultural safety skills within the workplace.

Thank you to Andrea Edwards for facilitating the cultural safety workshop where we practiced communication tools as well as lots of fun activities! And special thanks to Helen Khoey for joining the workshop. Helen is Senior Advisor, Audience Development and Capability Building at Creative New Zealand, and has played an integral part in establishing and supporting our internship programme since its inception in 2013.

It is such an honour to be re-launching the programme after a hiatus in 2020. We are so excited to see the interns flourish in their roles at arts organisations across Aotearoa!

Photos by NoSix

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

After a year-long hiatus due to Covid-19, one of Aotearoa’s most significant arts internship programmes returns for 2021.

Launched in 2013, Tautai’s Oceania Internship programme has had a longstanding purpose to develop and strengthen the capabilities of emerging Pasifika arts managers. Funded by Creative New Zealand, the 20-week internships provides professional development opportunities within arts management and administration. Recipients are placed with arts organisations nationwide to gain hands-on experience and build networks throughout Aotearoa’s creative sector.
The five recipients of the 2021 internships are curator Paulina Bentley, placed at Auckland War Memorial Museum (Pacific Collections); interdisciplinary artist Sophia Coghini, at Enjoy Contemporary Art Space; actress and aspiring filmmaker Lahleina Feaunati, at Script to Screen; multidisciplinary artist Jasmine Tuiā, at Te Tuhi; and actress and writer Rosalind Tui, at Auckland War Memorial Museum (Māori and Pacific Development).

Tautai works with interns to prepare them for placements and provides ongoing support and training for the duration of the internship. During the placement, support is also provided by senior arts practitioners under a tuakana and teina mentorship model. This approach emphasises the importance of connectedness and collaboration within the Pacific arts sector. This year’s tuakana mentors are Ioana Gordon-Smith, Curator Māori Pacific at Pātaka Art + Museum, and multidisciplinary creative and performing artist Leki Jackson-Bourke.

To date, 75% of Tautai’s internship alumni have secured employment within the arts sector. Courtney Sina Meredith, Director of Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust, says the Trust is immensely proud of the successes of the long-running internship programme.

“Tautai’s purpose is to champion Pacific creativity – and a big part of that is building capacity and nurturing growth within our sector.”

“We are so proud when we see Tautai interns develop and succeed in the arts, our alumni are changing the world! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this year’s cohort of incredible niu creatives with a passion for arts and for their communities,” says Courtney.

Tautai’s internship alumni include Paul Lisi, Arts Practice Director, Pacific, Creative New Zealand; Grace Taylor, Toloa Manager, Ministry for Pacific Peoples; Sonya Withers, Lecturer, School of Design, Massey University; Amiria Puia-Taylor, Director and Co-Founder, The 312 Hub; Ufitia Sagapolutele, Choreographer, Dancer and Creative Director of Tulou Collective; and Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson, Performing Artist and Co-Founder of Konfident Klothing.

For further information, high-res image request and interviews, contact media@tautai.org

Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust invites proposals from practitioners across all creative disciplines – visual arts, music, dance, design, film, fashion, writing and emerging art forms – for exhibitions and projects to be presented between February – December 2022.

<< APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED >>

About Tautai
Located in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is a charitable trust dedicated to championing Pacific arts and artists. Tautai was formed in the 1980s when leading Samoan artist Fatu Feu’u and his peers came together with a shared aspiration to support and promote Pacific visual artists. In the years since, Tautai has grown to become Aotearoa’s premiere Pacific arts organisation with a multidisciplinary focus.

In July 2020, we expanded our premises at 300 Karangahape Road, including a gallery space dedicated to showcasing the work of contemporary Pacific creatives.

2022 Tautai Programme

In 2022, Tautai will present a diverse programme of exhibitions, events and activations. We are seeking expressions of interest for gallery-based projects and exhibitions from Aotearoa’s Tagata Moana Oceania arts community, including, experienced and emerging artists, groups and curatorial practitioners.

Selected projects will receive an artist or curator fee, production budget and be supported by the Tautai team to develop, present and promote their project.

Application Requirements

Please include in your proposal:

• One-page outlining your proposed project, including context in relation to your practice and description of physical output or presentation.
• Cover letter and artist or curator CV, including examples of previous work.
• Visual references for proposed project (if applicable).

To assist you with your application, you can download more information about Tautai’s gallery space here.

Submit your proposal via the application form below. Or, download the form here, and send it along with supporting documents direct to tautai@tautai.org.

To apply, please submit your proposal and supporting documents by Monday 16 August 2021 at midday.

Get some inspiration here!

<< APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED >>

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Karlya Smith chats to Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti artist Melissa Gilbert about her practice.

Melissa Gilbert is an artist, storyteller and student, who focuses on “the constant talanoa of identity, connection and healing”.

Talanoa means to unravel, untie and examine through discussion in Samoan. Gilbert’s work is heavily influenced by her lineage rooted in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Her multi-faceted practice includes performance, painting, moving image and installation. And with an honours degree in fine arts still underway, that list may morph more.

Just like her work, Gilbert’s distinctive style is a blend of influences and experiences.

Read the full article here.

Video by NoSix

Moana Waiwai Moana Pāti is on at Tautai Gallery till September 25th

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Lynn Freeman asks Christopher Ulutupu why he’s so keen to involve his family in his videos

A series called New Kid in Town – Tiktok-type videos shot around Nelson’s tourism hotspots – is just one of the projects that video artist Christopher Ulutupu has roped in his extended family to create with him.

Now several of these works are currently on show or about to go up in five art galleries.

Of Samoan, Niuean and German descent, Chris creates work that makes us think about Pacific stereotypes and the impact of colonisation.

His day job sees him advocating for the arts as a way of supporting prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration.

Lynn Freeman asks Chris Ulutupu why he’s so keen to involve his family in his videos.

The New Kid in Town series is on at Tautai and also at Te Tuhi.  Both galleries are in Auckland.

Moana Waiwai Moana Pāti is on at Tautai Gallery till September 25th

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Check out Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti

Curated by the esteemed Nigel Borell, Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti, presented by Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust, will bring together nine local artists and their works, all produced during the 2020-2021 lockdowns.

Roughly translated to “from open seas to the shallow waters,” it’s a celebration of community, of innovation, and of the diversity of Pacific creatives. Saturday June 12 to September June 25. Open 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Friday; 11am to 4pm, Saturdays. Tautai Gallery, 300 Karangahape Rd, central city, Auckland.

Head to VIVA Online for more

Moana Waiwai Moana Pāti is on at Tautai Gallery till September 25th

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Nigel Borell is opening his first exhibition since his headline-grabbing departure from Auckland Art Gallery, collaborating with Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust to show Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti from Saturday 12 June for the next three months

Translated to “from open seas to the shallow waters,” it brings together work developed by nine artists during the 2020-2021 Covid-19 lockdowns – all of whom participated in Tautai’s Fale-ship programme.

Read the full article here

Moana Waiwai Moana Pāti is on at Tautai Gallery till September 25th

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

The curator of one of Aotearoa’s largest ever exhibitions that saw over 300 pieces of contemporary Māori art on display now has a new exhibition opening in Auckland.

Following his departure from the Auckland Art Gallery after the stunning success of Toi Tū Toi Ora, Nigel Borrell has collaborated with Tautai Gallery to present Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti – an exhibition from Tangata Moana, people of the pacific.

‘Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti’ represents works from nine out of 20 Auckland-based artists and is distinct as the artworks were created out of the experiences of the artists during the 2020-2021 Covid-19 lockdowns.

The 20 artists were part of a fale-ship, where they were encouraged and supported by Tautai to continue to pursue their creative paths, despite the adversity and separation of the lockdown period.

Borell said the fale-ship was an opportunity for the artists to navigate isolation while continuing to tell stories and share perspectives incubated during that time at home.

“It allows for that most vital of functions: supporting our artists and their art-making to be present and to have voice. And just like the unpredictable tides of this pandemic, it has also brought about new opportunities to create and contemplate,”

Nigel Borell

Listen to the full interview here
Read the full article here

Moana Waiwai Moana Pāti is on at Tautai Gallery till September 25th

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Works done by Māori and Pasifika artists during lockdown will be on show from tomorrow at Karangahape Road’s Tautai Gallery.

Curator Nigel Borell says the nine artists were supported during last year’s Covid lockdown with fellowships from Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust, and it unleashed a burst or creativity.

Moana Waiwai, Moana Pāti includes film, digital image-making, painting, tatau, poetic prose, sonic landscapes and performance.

“I think the lockdowns have given artists creative licence to explore new ideas but also to make. The lockdowns were for some people quite welcomed because for artists who are sometimes quite introverted it was a great platform just to make and create unabated by the world around us,”

Nigel Borell

Listen to the full interview on Radio Waatea here

Moana Waiwai Moana Pāti is on at Tautai Gallery till September 25th

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Watch the highlights from Pele Gilles’ live concert at Tautai Gallery! It was a wonderful afternoon filled with fāmili, kai and music and it was great to see everyone come and support this remarkable young performer – we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Pele

This week is your last chance to see the Voyagers: The Niu World at Tautai Gallery! Make sure to come in between Tuesday – Friday 10am – 4pm or Saturday 11am – 4pm to get a glimpse of the magic!

Video by NoSix

For further information please email us
Tautai.org  #tautai4lyfe

Meet the mother-daughter artist duo creating a new Polynesian art style together

Mother-daughter artist duo Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies tell Garth Cartwright that, despite their differences, they’re cut from the same cloth.

From a South Auckland bungalow to international art galleries, mother and daughter Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies are achieving remarkable things with their tapa cloth paintings.

The art they co-create is both beautiful and ominous, reflecting as it does concerns close to all of us: family, Covid, cultural traditions, the Pacific environment, our pasts and futures.

To read the full story subscribe to WOMAN Magazine online or purchase a copy from your nearest retailer.

Voyagers – The Niu World is on at Tautai Gallery until May 22, 2021
Gallery Hours: 10am – 4pm (Tues – Fri)
11am – 4pm (Saturday)

Tautai.org
#tautai4lyfe

Tautai is proud to support the Auckland Writers Festival 2021

Auckland Writers Festival Curator: Pasfika Gina Cole has curated three sessions for the Talanoa Series, featuring some of Aotearoa’s pre-eminent Pasifika writers, poets and playwrights. Other sessions include crafted responses from invited writers to Tautai’s exhibition SALTWATER / Interconnectivity.

Find more info about the sessions below.

All sessions are free with no ticket required.

PASIFIKA MARAMA QAQA:
AVIA, MARSH, MILA

Friday 14th May 2021 | 12:30 – 1:30pm | Limelight Room

SALTWATER PEOPLE

Friday 14th May | 3:30 – 4:30pm | Herald Theatre

“We sweat and cry salt water, so we know that the ocean is really in our blood,” said the late scholar, poet and activist Teresia Teaiwa. These evocative words became a reference point for Tautai Gallery’s recent exhibition SALTWATER/ Interconnectivity in which the gallery was transformed by co-curators Katharine Losi and Giles Peterson to embody the Moana worldview – exploring questions of justice, equity and identity. Losi is joined by three other invited writers – Amber Esau, Rosanna Raymond and Jaimie Waititi – to craft written responses to the exhibition, which they present for the first time.

HOLDING THE TOKOTOKO: EGGLETON & MARSH

SAP SE ʻḀI TOK HE TA : EGGLETON MA MARSH

Saturday 15th May 2021 | 12:30 – 1:30pm | Wāitakere Room

FALE AITU: KIGHTLEY & RODGERS

Sunday, 16th May | 2:00pm – 3:00pm | Wāitakere Room

For more information head to the writersfestival.co.nz

Tautai.org
#tautai4lyfe

Tautai is thrilled to announce that we have two new members in our Tautai Aiga!

Mile Fane – Public Programmes Manager

Mile Fane (she/her) is a young Afakasi actress and creative currently residing in Tāmaki Makaurau. She was born and raised in Aotearoa, in a family which was immersed in the arts. Mile has had a deep and long-standing relationship with the arts industry and in particular the Pacific Arts community. She is passionate about providing spaces for young creatives to feel elevated and believes that now more than ever we need to be supporting and uplifting the voices of young BIPOC artists across all disciplines, artists see the world a little differently and provide an outlet for people to make sense of the world in all it’s craziness. 

Sam McKegg – Communications Advisor

Sam McKegg (she/her) is a writer, publicist and communications professional who has worked in promoting and publicising arts, culture and creative industries in Aotearoa for almost a decade. She has formerly held communications roles at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and with production company Natural History New Zealand. Sam is passionate about uplifting and supporting contemporary art and artists through her mahi.

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Applications Closed for 2021

Creatives practicing across all disciplines that are interested in developing and perfecting their industry knowledge and skills are invited to apply!

Applicants must have a tertiary qualification and/or a minimum of three years continuous arts industry experience.

Click here for more information about the internship.

These internships provide fantastic paid industry experience for five Pacific arts practitioners across the motu.

Ufitia Sagapolutele was an Oceania intern in 2018 and has since been involved with Tautai as a guest performer at gallery openings and facilitated educational public programmes such as Fresh Horizons.

You don’t want miss out on this incredible opportunity! Applications close March 19 2021.

Apply Now!

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Covid-19 update from Tautai HQ

Afio mai, Aere mai, Malo e me’a mai, Fakatalofa atu, Veikidavaki, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ulu tonu mai, Welkam, Haere mai! 

Last updated 10 November 2021

We’re working to get our space ready to reopen, with community safety being our top priority. We appreciate your patience as we develop new procedures to make sure your visit to Tautai is safe and enjoyable. We’ll let you know as soon as we have a reopening date.  

Ma le alofa mai, 

Team Tautai 

For latest announcements follow us on Facebook and Instagram and join our mailing list.

Tautai Gallery and HQ – Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road

For more information email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Applications for the Tautai Oceania Internship Programme are closing March 19.

If your organisation is interested in hosting an intern, please send an email detailing your organisation and a draft job description to tautai@tautai.org.

Click here for more information about the internship.

“The programme is definitely relevant for the arts sector in Aotearoa, it’s necessary for the future and the growth of our Pacific arts and our wider arts in general”

– Leki Jackson Bourke, Tautai Oceania Intern 2018

These internships provide fantastic paid industry experience for five Pacific arts practitioners across the motu.

Leki Jackson Bourke was an Oceania intern in 2018 and he has since been involved with Tautai as a guest speaker at intern alumni events and First Fridays.

You don’t want to miss out on this incredible opportunity!
Applications close March 19 2021.

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

TUI EMMA GILLIES – Change of alert levels affects exhibition at Tautai Gallery

Eteuati Eteuati talks with Tui Emma Gillies about how the latest Covid19 alert level changes has affected her and her mothers exhibition which was to open in Auckland’s Tautai gallery tomorrow night, Friday 19 February 2021

Listen to the full interview here

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

What Latest COVID Level Changes Mean to the Arts

In light of Auckland’s level 3 lockdown from February 14 2021, a number of art shows and festivals are coming to a grinding halt once again.

Read the full article here

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tongan artists’ exhibition navigates the ‘Niu’ world on tapa

Voyagers: The Niu World showcases a collection of tapa artworks by award-winning Tongan artists Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and her daughter Tui Emma Gillies. 
Their collection was created during and after lockdown and reflects on the idea of navigating a changed world in the midst of a pandemic.

“We’re all voyaging at the moment through rough waters because we don’t know what our destination is going to be at the end of it,”

Tui Emma Gillies

Read the full article here

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tongan tapa-making in a lockdown bubble

Sulieti and Tui chat to Lynn Freeman about the Coronavirus era and the way in which the word “bubble”  has come to mean safety and sanctuary.  But can bubbles also be cages, forcing families apart?
This is one of the ideas explored by mother and daughter, New Zealand-based Tongan ngatu or tapa artists.

Listen to the full interview here

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Mother-daughter team to open Pacific art gallery with lockdown journey on tapa art 

Sulieti and Tui sit down with Stuff’s Auckland Pasifika Affairs Reporter Torika Tokalau to share some insight into their upcoming exhibiton, Voyagers – The Niu World opening at Tautai Gallery soon!

“So to have it away from that traditional setting but still including it, and having it in a contemporary space – this is from the islands, from our ancestors – it’s saying that we belong up there too.“

Tui Emma Gillies

Read the full story here

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Moana Wall artists Hōhua Ropate Kurene and Natasha Ratuva talk about what connects us Moana people. They discuss the various methods and mediums they used to convey their understanding of space, whakapapa, diaspora and much more…

“As diaspora, you know our ancestors would navigate the seas by sailing but now we navigate these seas through aeroplanes… so we were thinking about that feeling when you get off the plane and you see your island or your whenua/vanua from the aeroplane window and you get off and it’s that feeling, that first breath you take when you step onto your land and it’s deep from the stomach, deep from the puku. It’s that sense of relief or joy or sometimes even pain or hurt, and we wanted to mimic that.”

Natasha Ratuva

The Moana Wall is located on East St, just down the road from Tautai Gallery. Their work ‘Inside the waves are Ocean bodies’ will be on display until May 2021!

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust presents Voyagers: The Niu World, a new exhibition by New Zealand-based, Tongan artists Tui Emma Gillies and Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows, opening Saturday 20 March.

Sulieti and Tui are a mother/daughter duo who specialise in ngatu or tapa art. They explore contemporary issues through their practice of tapa painting, which is embedded in the roots of the medium and ancestors who practiced before them. For Voyagers: The Niu World, they present a collection of tapa created during and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand and reflect on the idea of navigating a changed world that is in the midst of a pandemic.

Tui Emma Gillies says, “During lockdown, my mum, Sulieti, came up from Auckland and stayed with me at my home in Kawakawa. We used the opportunity to reflect on lockdown – on the ‘Niu World’ we found ourselves in. We worked everyday making tapa in my studio, often accompanied by the sound of my son Pele playing on the piano. How did Pacific Islanders deal with isolation? The answer is simple: Fāmili.”

“That’s why we’ve asked my son Pele to play at the exhibition opening. He has only been playing for just over a year, but his practice was a constant and inspirational soundtrack while we worked on these pieces. He also represents a third generation of our family involved in this exhibition. Pele has composed a new work specially for the opening and we are transporting his baby grand piano from Kawakawa to Auckland so he can play it at Tautai,” says Tui.

Voyagers: The Niu World will include work depicting faces wearing tapa-patterned masks, families together in lockdown, three new 1.8-metre-wide paintings that present images of navigation and journey and two larger ngatu.

Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows says, “The waves have never been bigger or more threatening, the storms have never been so savage, the fires have never been so close and hot. And we are expressing this in the medium we were brought up in, tapa painting, which has been passed down from generation to generation by those people who made the original voyages and their ancestors before them. This exhibition is dedicated to all us Voyagers who are navigating the ‘Niu World.’”

Tautai Director, Courtney Sina Meredith says, “We are beginning 2021 at Tautai by looking back at the year that has been through the work and experiences of two amazing artists, Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies. Sulieti and Tui create unique, collaborative works that embody the connection between generations, and with ancestors, through a medium with a rich history.”

Voyagers: The Niu World has been supported by Creative New Zealand.

Exhibition details:

Voyagers: The Niu World
Exhibition Preview: Friday 19 March at 6.00pm
Exhibition Runs: Saturday 20 March – Saturday 22 May 2021
Tautai Gallery, Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road, Auckland Central
Open 11am–4pm, Tuesday–Saturday

For further information, high-res image request and interviews, contact media@tautai.org

Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Oceania Internships

Developing future Pacific arts managers and leaders

After suspending our Internships for 2020 due to COVID-19 we are delighted to announce that we have re-launched our Tautai Oceania Internships Programme for 2021!

Applications are now closed for 2021.

Tautai is thrilled to open applications for the Tautai Oceania Internships Programme 2021. The Programme is funded by Creative New Zealand and proudly delivered by Tautai to develop future Pacific arts managers and leaders, support Pacific arts infrastructure, and establish pathways for emerging Pacific practitioners to build their arts management skills.

Five internships are available to Pasifika arts practitioners residing in Aotearoa across all disciplines that are keen to build their experience in arts administration. We are now inviting applications from suitably qualified, hard-working, enthusiastic and determined people who are serious about forging a career in the arts.

The Internships are paid and will run for 20 weeks, working 40 hours a week. The 20 week placement needs to be completed between May – December 2021.

The Internship programme will operate on a Tuakana Teina model. Tuakana (mentors) will look after our Teina (interns) – supporting them throughout the duration of their Internship journey and strengthening their connections to the wider Pacific arts sector.

Applicants must have a tertiary qualification and/or a minimum of three years continuous experience working within the arts. Tautai will work with the selected interns to align placements with appropriate host organisations throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

How to apply:

To apply to be an intern, please email a cover letter and a CV to tautai@tautai.org

Host EOI’s are now open

If your organisation is interested in hosting an intern, please send an email detailing your organisation and a draft job description to tautai@tautai.org

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

We are looking for people to join Tautai’s
Ngāue ‘Ofa Volunteer team!

Located in Tamaki Makaurau, Aotearoa New Zealand – Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is a charitable trust dedicated to championing Pacific arts and artists. We work to bring the community together through a range of events, activities, and exhibitions. Proudly supported by CNZ, Foundation North and Fetu Ta’i patrons, Tautai is able to provide unique opportunities for the Oceanic arts community.

This year we were excited to open Tautai Gallery and hub. For 2021, we are excited to extend our opening hours! Tautai Gallery will now be open from Monday – Saturday. 

We’re looking for volunteers who can commit to at least one Saturday a month as a visitor host to manaaki our visitors, help to navigate the gallery / hub and occasionally support public programmes.

If you are interested there will also be an opportunity to help with our public events which happen regularly throughout the year, ranging from live performances to talanoa and exhibition openings.

As a Tautai Ngāue ‘Ofa volunteer you will gain practical experience in the arts sector, as well as learn from and build relationships within the Pasifika arts community.

If you are interested in becoming a Tautai Ngāue ‘Ofa we would love to hear from you!

Please fill out the form below or download it here, and send it to tautai@tautai.org

Applications are open all year round!

Vinaka, Fakaaue Lahi oue tulou, Fakafetai 
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Tautai!

For further information please email us.
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Natasha and Hōhua talk about their epic 60m site-specific artwork ‘Inside the wave are ocean bodies’, the first exhibition to be shown on the Moana Wall.

Video by 531pi
Published online 3 December 2020 (source)

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Witness the connection between artists Hōhua Kurene and Natasha Ratuva and how that collaboration translated into an epic 60m site-specific work Inside the wave are ocean bodies, curated by Cora-Allan Wickliffe.

“We had to look inward, into our anatomy, into our limbs, into our breathing, into our organs and you’ll see that on the wall.” – Hōhua Kurene

Inside the waves are ocean bodies by Natasha Ratuva & Hōhua Kurene is on show until April 2021 at the Moana Wall

Video by: No Six

For further information please email us.
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Sacrifice is the Greatest Art Form

Not all leaders are created equal. Tautai’s Courtney Sina Meredith is ensuring she leads by example

By Dina Jezdic for The Big Idea, 14 October 2020

Our society is changing and so are the types of leaders we seek to entrust with power. 

The imperative to empower the most disenfranchised and marginalized among us has revealed a large gap in the arts and culture leadership, while exposing limited knowledge on how to tackle the ongoing problems of systemic racism and structural injustices in our society and the communities we identify with. 

For Courtney Sina Meredith, author, performer and the Director of Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust – Aotearoa’s leading contemporary Pacific arts organisation – this is the space she feels most comfortable in. It’s a space she understands well through lived experience, as a respected figure in the arts and as an accomplished multidisciplinary artist in her own right. The artist and the administrator entwined, a chimera of the dreamer and the doer. 

“Where I am now in my life is where I’ve been for a very long time – inside the wave. As a writer and performer, I’ve had the great blessing of documenting the sea salt, struggles, genetic memory and amazing ambition from within. I believe in the future my grandparents and great-grandparents left Samoa and Rarotonga to pursue. 

“Family is everything to me, it is the foundation of who I am as a creative, as a leader in the arts, as a new parent and someone more interested in doing the right thing behind closed doors than highlighting the performance of expected leadership in the public realm.”

Willing to serve

As we are faced with a time of unknowns, we are also in the greatest time for learning and doing things differently. Leading the way in this time of great change may be easier for some than for others but this leader never dilutes that the struggle is indeed very real, if you are willing to truly serve your community. 

“Leadership isn’t glamorous at all – it’s a lot of planning and pukumahi. I’ve retained my spirit by understanding that sacrifice is the greatest art form. Look at what’s created through the hope for something more. 

“I’ve always believed that a true artist creates artistic opportunities for others. I turned down many opportunities to be my own artist because the fork in the road ahead meant a win for myself or a win for somebody else. That doesn’t make me a martyr – I think it makes me, by my own personal code, the sort of artist I’ve always wanted to become.

“When I see Moana creatives come into Tautai and they light up because they feel so seen and so comfortable – and every piece of art, every space, every book reflects and affirms their very being – those are the moments I breathe out and let myself feel a tiny piece of the enormity of it all.”

Dedication

“I’ve never dug so deep as I have for the love of this community. I was confident I could bring the Trust back to good health, in the way you nurse a loved one. That was a metaphor I returned to often. Yes,  I had a 12-month, 6-month, 90-day and 30-day business plan – crossing those things off with my team was actually so emotional – but I also just treated the Trust like an elder who needed my time.

“Slowly, gently, it was like this entity in the crook of my arm that couldn’t be left alone, regained colour in its cheeks with daily nourishment. People returned, the memory returned of who Tautai was and why.

“I am powered by my belief in the power of my people. Whether or not Moana artists want to engage with Tautai is their choice but I‘d rather exist in a time where it is a choice and not a consistent inequity that is glaringly obvious.” 

Blu-tack & Chicken scrawl

This is clearly the case of not being afraid to talk about the hard work and sacrifice it took to get the Trust and the team to where they are now. It’s about the visibility of difficult conversations and the hard work of the days and months that followed. Here is a leader that knows she is not alone and that her sacrifice is most certainly not unnoticed.  

“I’ve poured every drop of love into Tautai that I possibly could. Love-led leadership looked like practically living at the office in the first 6-12 months, with family dropping off food in the weekends and sitting with me in the office with print outs and sheets of papers covered in my chicken scrawl blu-tacked to the walls, backs of doors, in piles around the meeting room.

“It completely overtook me – this instinct to secure the Trust. I put myself into a very vulnerable space but I was determined to succeed. I understood it would take time and so I just settled in for the long haul. Some days were a lot harder than others but the good days were especially great and I held onto that.”

Purpose-built, built with purpose

Building the future on broken foundations is a difficult and potentially dangerous path. It can only be achieved by rebuilding upon new, healthy foundations. For Tautai Trust, they appear to be brightly lit, glistening like a newly shed skin. The new space with the expanded footprint is a vessel for artists to exhibit and gather but also a home dwelling centered on the Pacific community and their role in the contemporary arts practice. It is no wonder they are celebrating this visible and transformational success. 

“In two years we have expanded our space triple-fold, establishing Tautai Gallery which was officially opened this year by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, held our first indigenous collaborative show across the Tasman at Blak Dot Gallery, increased our funding by 94%, had two clear financial audits, brought on Pacific accountants, Pacific auditors, Pacific caterers, a range of Pacific suppliers and built partnerships with many thought leaders here and around the globe.

“This realm has always been my church, my spaceship, my happy place but it’s not easy to make a life in the arts and this is something I’m passionate about changing.

“Now that the horizon has come to us and we are piercing the walls of many heavens together, I feel that I can finally take a step back and learn to live in the fale we were able to build thanks to our incredible funders at Creative New Zealand, Foundation North, our Fetu Ta’i patrons and the endless alofa of many Pacific creatives who came home to Tautai with open arms and open hearts – ready to take on the world.”

Tautai is a repository of knowledge and understanding for the communities it serves while consistently reaching beyond their core audience. 

Although it is now a physical space, it refuses the colonial impulse to collect and obscure its mission by caring for objects. Its foundations are strong and enabled by inclusion and centering of non-western bodies and spaces. 

It does not shy away from real politics, it invites it. 

If most public institutions have a legacy that is tainted by long genealogies of violence and institutional injustice, public spaces like Tautai are here to spread their new fresh approach by injecting the personal into our art lives. If anyone could be 2020-ready to rethink the entire model of what cultural institutions do and are, it is Courtney Sina Meredith leading Tautai with clear focus and new constellations to steer their vaka towards. 

Written by Dina Jezdic for The Big Idea (source)
Published online 14 October, 2020

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Do you have a real and personal passion for contemporary Pacific arts?

Extensive administrative and project management skills?

We are looking for a << Programmes Manager >> to take the lead on specific programming and event delivery within our Tautai annual programme of events and activities.

Media savvy with great networks?

Do you have a desire to work within and for Pacific communities?

We are seeking a << Strategic Communications Advisor >> responsible for establishing a comprehensive media network, developing and posting content across various platforms and promoting to a diverse audience.

If these sound like you, or someone you know please apply by sending a cover letter and updated CV to: tiare@manarecruitment.co.nz or call (09) 632 1108.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

#tautai4lyfe

<< Watch Naawie talanoa with 531pi >>

Naawie shares the message behind her work in Moana Legacy and how she carries her ancestors with her in her everyday life.

“…the messages always come back to identity and how I move through the world as a brown woman…”

– Naawie Tutugoro

See Naawie and her father Luc Tutugoro in conversation at Tautai First Fridays

Video by 531pi
Published online on 29 July 2020 (source)

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Video by Cass Marrett for Re:News

“There’s something about the work you’re creating that cannot be replicated in any other sector.”

– Courtney Sina Meredith, Tautai Director

Bachelor of Arts degrees, like all degrees, have an important part to play in our economy and society.

University of Auckland Arts graduates Courtney Sina Meredith (Tautai Art Gallery Director/Writer/Poet), Joshua Ling (Digital Marketing Executive, Paramount Pictures) and Lydia Hollister-Jones (Marketing Content Specialist, World Vision) tell us how they couldn’t have got their skills and careers with any other degree.

Find out more about where you can go with a BA here

Video by Cass Marrett for Re: News
Published online on 22 July 2020 (source)

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Words by Rosie Herman for Denizen. 22 July 2020

The Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust has opened its first gallery space in central Auckland, dedicated to showcasing the works of contemporary Pacific creatives.

Founded in the 1980s by acclaimed Samoan-New Zealand artist Fatu Feu’u ONZM and a few of his peers, Tautai was born from a shared aspiration to support and promote Pacific visual artists. Since then, it’s had an important hand in promoting and nurturing the growing Pacific arts community in New Zealand, now further cemented with a dedicated space to showcase the important work being made.

With director Courtney Sina Meredith at the helm, Tautai has taken over the first-floor space previously occupied by Artspace on Karangahape Rd.

An award-winning poet, playwright and fiction writer herself, Sina Meredith described the new hub as a “beacon of aspiration for those who are coming into the arts,” with the name Tautai drawing on the Samoan word for navigator — an apt descriptor for a guiding presence in the art community.

The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, Moana Legacy, showcases several varying examples of Pacific art, from photography installations to hiapo, heritage works, charcoal drawings, digital pieces, a mural and even woven hair baskets.

Curated by multi-disciplinary artist Cora-Allan Wickliffe, the exhibition was developed in partnership with Melbourne gallery Blak Dot Gallery and features artists working in both New Zealand and Australia.

“Moana legacy is an opportunity to engage with, not only contemporary art practices now, but what artists of different ages — different levels whether emerging, senior or experienced — what they’re feeling now, especially in this time we’re in,” said Wickliffe.

“We want our communities to respond; to feel like they can see themselves there on the walls.”

Words by Rosie Herman for Denizen (source)

Published online on Wednesday July 22, 2020

Moana Legacy has now ended.
Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday, 11am – 4pm

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Pacific Arts Trust launches new gallery

Re-opening its doors to the public since the Alert Level 4 lockdown, Tautai Pacific Arts Trust showcased their brand new gallery space last week.

Curated by Niuean/Māori artist Cora-Allan Wickliffe, the gallery opened with its inaugural arts exhibition, Moana Legacy. The exhibition features the works of Māori and Pasifika artists from Aotearoa and Australia.

Video by Alice Lolohea for Tagata Pasifika (source)
Published online on Tuesday July 7, 2020

Moana Legacy has now ended.

For further information please email us
Tautai.org  #tautai4lyfe

From the moana to K Road: A new Auckland home for artists of the Pacific

From kete and hiapo to MS Paint and neo-pop crocodiles, Tautai Gallery celebrates Pacific art in all its forms.

Written by Gareth Shute for The Spinoff. 7 July 2020

After three decades in existence, Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust has launched its own gallery on Auckland’s Karangahape Road.

The first thing that hits you entering Tautai Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, Moana Legacy, is the range of works on show. On one huge wall is a mural of black humanoid crocodiles on a pink background by neo-pop artist Ahsin Ahsin (Atiu, Aitutaki), while the wall opposite has an illustrated hiapo (Niuean tapa cloth) made using traditional methods by Cora-Allan Wickliffe (Ngāpuhi, Tainui, Alofi and Liku) and her sister Kelly Lafaiki. 

Elsewhere, a specially constructed frame holds ghostly photographs by Talia Smith (Cook Islands, Samoan and New Zealand European) and these sit across hangings of tiny, intricate kete made by Gina Ropiha (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Raukawa/Ngāti Rakau) from her own hair, while around a corner a dark corridor is filled by an installation of neon blue tubes created by Israel Randell (Tainui, Ngāti Kahungunu).

Tautai founding patron Fatu Feu’u sees this gallery space as the eventual end point of work that he began over 30 years ago. In the 80s, he recalls Colin McCahon saying to him that the New Zealand art world was waiting for Pacific artists to make a serious contribution. The history of progress during the intervening years is evident all around you at Tautai.

Wickliffe’s work is an example of this. She speaks of the influence of legendary NZ Niuean artist John Pule and how their families both came from the same village in Niue. His work proved that the imagery of hiapo had a place in fine art and her work takes the logic one step further – his work was on canvas, while her hiapo are created using traditional materials and patterns. By bringing hiapo out of the museums and into a gallery space, Wickliffe pushes forward the argument for their place in the contemporary artistic conversation. 

Wickliffe took this notion further in her introductory speech for the opening exhibition (which she curated). Pointing to one work, she told the audience it was an unfinished work dedicated to her grandfather who passed away last year. She then proceeded to “complete” the work by painting thick strokes of black paint over the face of the piece, erasing the illustrations and thereby evocatively expressing her loss, while the audience watched on in shocked silence. 

Many of the artists on display in the opening exhibition also took part in Tautai’s groundbreaking show in Naarm/Melbourne last year, so the return to Auckland had a sense of homecoming. For Ahsin Ahsin, the trip was his first involvement with Tautai and he found it refreshing to connect with other artists from a Pacific background without any pressure to perform their culture in their art.

“I got to hang out with brown artists, which is quite rare for me. I’m based in Hamilton and there’s not many brown artists in the art community… It’s just about self-expression. I’m from the Pacific so that makes it Pacific art, but I do what I do.”

Ahsin Ahsin

In the future, Ahsin hopes to collaborate with another artist who showed at both exhibitions, Rangituhia Hollis (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu), since they both also create digital work. Hollis’s advanced digital imagery had its own juxtapositions within the current exhibition: firstly with three charcoal/painted works he created to sit alongside them, but also in contrast with the videos created by Brisbane-born Fijian artist Mereani Qalovakawasa, which purposefully use the simplistic software of MS Paint to add a primacy to her work about life with a chronic illness (lupus). 

Hollis was among four artists with Māori heritage in the show (making up half the participants), which reflects Tautai’s recognition of moana nui a kiwa – that all Pacific peoples derive from the same ocean. Hollis says he got a huge amount from being involved in the Tautai exhibition in Naarm/Melbourne, since it also involved trips to local galleries hosted by indigenous curators and opportunities to examine the Pasifika collection at the museums. He is equally impressed by the open, expansive layout of the new gallery:

“I think the utilisation of the space is amazing. I’ve seen it in other forms when it was Artspace and the Film Archive. Artspace had a lot of storage space but this seems to be space for people, not storage for archived items.”

Naawie Tutugoro (Kanak and Anglo-Argentinian/European) is one emerging artist involved in Moana Legacy who understands how far Tautai has come to get to this stage. Her father, Luke Tutugoro, was involved with Tautai from its inception and when she was a child he enlisted her to paint the garage of their Grey Lynn villa with nuclear-free messages as part of a Tautai-led campaign. She therefore appreciates the gravity of having her work on display on the opening night.

“It feels like tonight we are planting a tree that is going to be very sacred for the generations to come. I feel very lucky to be opening this space and have work that instigates that.”

– Naawie Tutugoro

Written by Gareth Shute for The Spinoff (source)
Published online on Tuesday July 7, 2020

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

<< Watch Ahsin talanoa with PMN Cook Islands >>

Ahsin reflects on the realities of the arts sector and shares some wise words for budding artists

“…it’s harder for us to enter those realms but some of us can get in there and its good when we’re in there, we can inspire others, ‘Come this way, i’ll show you’…”

– Ahsin Ahsin

Video by PMN Cook Islands
Published online on 7 July 2020 (source)

Moana Legacy has now ended.

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Pacific Arts Trust has reopened on K Road

A wise man once said, “great art feeds a family for generations”.
That man is Fatu Feu’u ONZM, the founder of Tautai, New Zealand’s leading pacific arts organisation.
The Tautai Pacific Arts Trust has now reopened in the city as a space where people can not only see art but can do art.

Breakfast got a sneak peek at how it’s looking.

More information:
Moana Legacy, 6 July – 18 September at Tautai Gallery

Meet the Artists of Moana Legacy: Ahsin Ahsin, Cora-Allan Wickliffe and Kelly Lafaiki, Rangituhia Hollis, Gina Ropiha, Israel Randell, Mereani Qalovakawasa, Naawie Tutugoro

For further information please Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Gallery is a niu space with a rich legacy.

Over 30 years ago Tautai’s founding patron Fatu Feu’u and his peers gathered with a vision to create belonging and community for Pacific artists.

Fast forward to 2020 and Tautai Gallery is the fulfilment of this enduring ambition.

Contemporary Pacific art now has a dedicated platform right in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Truly a night to remember!

Video by No Six

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Placing Moana at the Centre

Written by Mark Amery for The Big Idea. 2 July 2020

Pacific and Oceanic peoples make up 16% of Auckland’s population – and that’s growing, rapidly. Our framework for thinking about what art is, and how it is made and shared is slowly starting to shift with that. 

Welcome then is Te Taumata Toi-A-Iwi’s (Formerly Arts Regional Trust) release this week of an overview of research in communities on the arts of Moana Oceania in Tāmaki Makaurau, recognising that the arts are defined and practiced in different ways. Part of the aim is to help build a more cross-cultural approach.

 ”This is our call to action!” write authors Toluma‘anave Barbara Makuati-Afitu and Kolokesa U. Māhina-Tuai. “We hope this research creates the needed shift of the axis through a collective movement of disrupting the status quo… to ensure Indigenous voices are heard and perspectives are embedded in the hearts, minds and policies of our cultural, creative and arts sector.”

One space working hard to do this already is Tautai Contemporary Pacific Art Trust. As Director Courtney Sina Meredith introduces on YouTube here, in a significant new move Tautai is opening its first dedicated gallery space on Friday, a move that was due to happen the first day of lockdown in March. 

This is an important move in a city that deserves to have the Pacific arts more visibly at its centre. It is saying, states Meredith “we don’t want to be just a satellite anymore, we don’t just want to be the partner working with big fish, we want to actually centre our narrative.”  Meredith introduced Tautai’s history to RNZ’s Lynn Freeman, and told her that she is also developing the space as a community hub, so that the whole place “is a hot desk” where people can work and meet, not just see art. 

The first exhibition, Moana Legacy developed from an existing partnership with Blak Dot Gallery in Naarm (Melbourne), featuring artists working in both Aotearoa and Australia. The new Tautai website is a dynamic first landing place. 

Written by Mark Amery for The Big Idea.
Published online 2 July 2020 as part of arts news bulletin (source)

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Power Art Couple Janet Lilo & Courtney Sina Meredith At Home In Avondale

Award-winning artists Courtney Sina Meredith and Janet Lilo find love in everything they do

Written by Andrew Glenn for Viva. March 25th 2020

Sitting down with artists Courtney Sina Meredith and Janet Lilo in their Avondale home and listening to their story is compelling and uplifting. It’s a story filled with mana; tales about love, family, community and giving back.

It would be easy to just label them a “power” art couple; Courtney is an award-winning poet and the director of Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust; Janet is an influential visual artist with permanent works in Te Papa and the Auckland Art Gallery.

Yet it’s soon evident that family and community are their most important works to date; each of them excelling in their respective roles as mothers, lovers, civic leaders and artistic pioneers.

Lately, Courtney’s focus has been on Tautai. Previously inhabited by Artspace (which has moved downstairs), the gallery is expanding to take over the whole of the first floor to include a new space, which is a first in Tautai’s 34-year history.

The new gallery, when it opens, will be a platform for artists making room for more exciting Pasifika-curated exhibitions. “Artspace has been an emblem for contemporary New Zealand art. So now to occupy that space and make it all about contemporary Pacific art, well there’s something really beautiful in that and something really now,” says Courtney.

“When we talk about the rise of Pacific art,” she continues, “I genuinely believe there’s a new consciousness, or an awareness, that [Pasifika artists] have always been here. That these aren’t new voices, it’s an awareness of those voices, and an infrastructure for those voices, and I’ll say it — new funding for the amplification of those voices — where we’re seeing change. More and more we’re having people in leadership positions who are saying ‘This is important to us; these are our key values’; it’s not just dressing.”

She and Janet have known each other for years, since they were both high school students at Western Springs College, but fell in love and moved in together just a year ago. They share their home with Janet’s boys — Harry 12, Milo, 9, and Manaia, 3 — and Courtney’s “baby” Sadie Rose, a dachshund/shih tzu puppy.

Courtney has lived in the home for nearly two years; it’s been in a family trust for some time and several years ago she helped her father renovate it. With vast open views to the Waitakere ranges, the house has an enormous, slightly sloping backyard that the boys turn into a giant waterslide in summer.

Their love affair represents the merger of two incredibly talented Pacific artists. In addition to her role at Tautai, Courtney is an award-winning poet, playwright, fiction writer and musician.

She’s earned critical acclaim for her published works, including Tail of The Taniwha, a book of short stories, and The Adventures of Tupaia, the story of a Tahitian priest navigator who sailed on board the Endeavour with Captain Cook on his first voyage to Aotearoa.

Janet, an artist, lecturer and social commentator, uses digital photography, video, and multimedia installations to explore issues of popular culture, and is prestigiously represented in permanent collections at the Auckland Art Gallery and Wellington’s Te Papa.

“I went to all of her shows, I fan-girled her!” says Courtney, who is four years younger than Janet. After high school their paths would criss-cross over the years.

When Courtney was 24, and working at Auckland Council, she curated an art project and recruited Janet to be involved. Subsequently through their mutual involvement with Tautai — Janet was previously on the board — a seed of friendship was born that later blossomed into love.

“Part of why we fell in love and why I’m so in love with Janet and so obsessed with her — I’m infatuated, I really am,” says Courtney, “[is that] there’s a natural ease in our relationship.

Their mutual love is palpable. Displayed on a living room sideboard table are a collection of works by Courtney, including the Poetry New Zealand 2020 Yearbook which features a love poem written from Courtney to Janet.

Will they plan on having children of their own? “It’s a work in progress,” says Janet, adding with a laugh. “We already have a fourth child, Sadie.”

Although Janet only recently moved in with Courtney, she is no stranger to Avondale, having grown up in the suburb with most of her family close by.

She’s also no stranger to giving back to her community; as a trustee of Whau the People Charitable Trust, an Avondale-based arts collective, she co-runs the All Goods Gallery, a non-profit space for arts, established a year ago.

Her next big project is organising The Whau Arts Festival, set to be this June. “I have always worked with community in the context of arts. There’s a balance: to do the little things, you do the big things,” she explains.

After the Christchurch attacks a little over a year ago, Janet decided to show her solidarity with the Avondale Islamic Centre by anonymously leaving an artwork on the fence inscribed ‘ISLOVE’, along with the hundreds of other tributes from other strangers.

Twelve months on her sign is the only message the centre has not taken down. “The community is our home,” says Janet. “It’s probably my most favourite work of 2019 in terms of what it means to me.”

Their house is a “work in progress” from a decorative point of view, mainly due to the fact they’ve only recently moved in together. “We haven’t been together for so long to ‘grow up’ a house. These things take time,” says Janet, showing me one of her favourite pieces — a milk bottle punctured by thousands of tiny holes, which she explains is the result of the dog’s teething period. “That’s quintessentially New Zealand.”

The walls are filled with pieces of deep sentimental value. Courtney’s pieces include a photograph taken by Ralph Brown of Coven, a collective of queer artists activating an arts space. Below that is a painting by Courtney’s step-grandmother Patricia Melhuish, of a beach scene in Napier.

Janet’s recurring use of bananas as iconography — think of her 6m-high light poles on the Karangahape Rd overbridge in 2017 — began with her original work, Banana (2012), which now sits on the living room wall behind the sofa.

She explains her use of bananas was originally inspired by her late Samoan grandmother, who used to hand out bananas to her and her cousins when they were children.

For the Viva shoot to accompany this story Janet has set up a temporary installation of corflute laptops — emblazoned with MAKE WRONG RIGHT NOW — in the backyard. It’s an edit from her work Man in the Mirror that was part of the 2019 Honolulu Biennial, where she represented New Zealand. “I quite like using things that have a local or global context,” she says.

Above the mantle in the living room is a painting by Courtney’s cousin Danielle Meredith — appropriated from an early childhood photo, which her grandfather still carries in his wallet — that holds a special place in Courtney’s heart.

As a child growing up in Glen Innes, Courtney Sina Meredith developed a deep love for her grandmother who she fondly remembers as an incredibly kind and empathetic soul; she remembers her working tirelessly in a denim factory for much of her life, having immigrated from Samoa at the age of 17.

Despite her grandmother’s death just a couple of years after the photo was taken, the legacy of her hard work and passion is what inspires Courtney every day. “She encouraged me from a young age to speak my mind and have a voice,” she says.

“From her challenges and her journey, to having a grandchild who’s now opening this beautiful big space [Tautai]; the journey for me to be able to do these things began a couple of generations back.”

Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust was set to reopen on March 26, with Moana Legacy, an exhibition curated by Cora-Allan Wickliffe. It has now been postponed due to Covid-19. Check Tautai.org for updates.

Written by Andrew Glenn for VIVA (source)
Published in print on Wednesday March 25, 2020

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Tautai Opening a ‘Dream’ for Pacific Art Community

The new art space on Auckland’s Karangahape Road is the culmination of a decades-long effort to support artists of Pacific heritage.

By Sam Gaskin Auckland for Ocula, 23 March 2020

Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown announced today, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was scheduled to launch Pacific Arts organisation Tautai’s new space in Auckland on Thursday 26 March.

That won’t happen, but the space is nevertheless a major step forward for the Pasifika arts community according to its director, Courtney Sina Meredith.

‘The establishment of a gallery specifically for contemporary Pacific artists was a dream of founding patron Fatu Feu’u and his peers when Tautai initially formed [in the 1980s]. He’s been in to see the space recently and the smile on his face said it all,’ she said.

‘This is a historic moment that marks the beginning of a new chapter for our artists and our community, but it’s also about coming full circle and honouring our founders,’ Meredith said.

She said the new Tautai would be primarily a place to share ideas and practices, but wouldn’t preclude Pasifika artists selling their work.

‘All events and activities will be free, and any purchases of work will take place directly between artists and interested buyers — Tautai will not take a commission,’ she said.

The name Tautai draws on the Samoan word for navigator, and the organisation has successfully found a way to secure six years of funding from government arts agency Creative New Zealand for their 500 square metre space on Auckland’s Karangahape Road. The building features a sculpture reminiscent of a spiky conch shell by Kiwi artist Guy Ngan, who identified as Pacific Chinese.

Curated by Cora-Allan Wickliffe, the space’s inaugural exhibition is entitled Moana Legacy and features works by Ahsin Ahsin, Gina Ropiha, Israel Randell, Mereani Qalovakawasa, Naawie Tutugoro, Rangituhia Hollis, Talia Smith, and a piece made collaboratively by Wickliffe and Kelly Lafaiki.

The exhibition continues until 5 June, though it is unlikely to receive many visitors in its first month. New Zealanders have been asked to stay at home for the next four weeks. – OCULA 23.03.2020

Written by Sam Gaskin Auckland for Ocula (source)
Published March 23, 2020

For further information please email us
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

Natasha Matila- Smith

APT 10 Pacific Curator in Residence 

We look forward to seeing her talents flourish across the ocean! 

In partnership with QAGOMA and Creative New Zealand, Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is pleased to announce that Natasha Matila-Smith has been selected as the inaugural curator for the Creative New Zealand Pacific Curator Residency in Australia.  

Natasha will work with QAGOMA’s Asian and Pacific Art team towards ‘The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT10), developing an artistic project of Pacific Art in Aotearoa New Zealand that will be presented as part of APT10. 

Over the past five years Matila-Smith has worked consistently across curatorial projects, writing and her creative practice to expand understandings of the complexity of contemporary Pacific life in Aotearoa.  She has developed a reputation as one of Aoeteroa New Zealand’s most unique critical voices. Throughout her practice she has challenged stereotypes and confronted expectations, presenting exhibitions that acknowledge the broader contexts for Pacific artists and art. 

Tautai’s Director, Courtney Sina Meredith said: ‘This is a ground-breaking moment for arts in Moana Oceania, we’re thrilled to be appointing Natasha Matila-Smith as the first Pacific curator to take up this opportunity. She has an important voice within our community and is someone who has worked with Tautai through the years, contributing to the shape of contemporary Pacific arts in Aotearoa and our global positioning. We look forward to working alongside our partners QAGOMA and Creative New Zealand towards APT10.’ 

QAGOMA Director, Chris Saines CMZ agreed, saying,: ‘This exciting new residency opportunity enhances the Gallery’s ongoing commitment to providing platforms for New Zealand based Pacific artists, writers and curators through the APT exhibition series. 

Natasha’s contributions to conversations about what constitutes contemporary Pacific culture could not be more relevant to the APT. She will have much to contribute as we celebrate the series 10th iteration and enter the exhibitions third decade.’  

Source: QAGOMA Blog 
Natasha Online: Website | Instagram 

For further information please email us 
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe 

Afio mai to the new Tautai HQ

A fresh beacon of Pasifika creativity in Auckland’s art district

Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road, Auckland, Aotearoa

Official Opening of Tautai’s Gallery, Friday 3 July

With major funding secured from Creative New Zealand, the new Tautai headquarters places them alongside other key organisations such as Te Papa and Auckland Art Gallery as a platform for amplifying Pacific creativity.

When Tautai HQ reopens, it will be to a beautiful expanded space of over 500 square metres, with a myriad of new initiatives planned for the coming year. Tautai’s Director Courtney Sina Meredith says the extra space, which includes a dedicated gallery, will enable Tautai to expand on its current programmes and activities from a central location.

The key contributing factors that make up Tautai is the work we do within education and institutional facilities, with artists, industry and our fundraising abilities. With this new expansion comes greater opportunity in all these areas.

Artist support
If you are an artist interested in becoming part of Tautai’s creative community please follow our facebook page, which is regularly updated with new opportunities.

Tautai Oceania Internship Programme
Tautai’s treasured internship programme, now in its seventh year, is currently paused due to COVID-19.
If you are interested in becoming part of our internship programme in future either as a host organisation or an intern, please contact us via email. Check out our coverage on our 2019 internship programmes.

Fundraising
Tautai is a Toi Tōtara Haemata investment client, our main source of funding comes from Creative New Zealand. We also receive generous support from Foundation North and our Fetu Ta’i patrons. Tautai  work with additional networks to further strengthen the creative Pacific community. In 2020 we plan  to expand even further, connecting in with aligned Oceanic arts organisations and Pacific media to profile and uplift our arts aiga.  

Tautai Gallery
Open Mon–Fri 10–4pm | Gallery Opening Friday 3rd July, 4:30pm
Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road, Newton, Auckland.
PO Box 68 339, Wellesley Street West.

For further information please email us.
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe

TAUTAI Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust Annual General Meeting 2020

Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road

Tautai AGM 2020 is on Monday 2nd March, 6pm in our new Tautai Gallery space.

You are warmly invited to our Annual General Meeting on Monday 2nd March at 6pm. The meeting will be held in our new Tautai Gallery space – Level 1, 300 Karangahape Road, Auckland. All welcome!

Tautai AGM 2020 related content for download:
– AGM Notice of Meeting 2020
– Minutes AGM_8Sep18
– Tautai Subscription Form 2020
– Tautai Trustee Nomination Form

For further information please email us.
Tautai.org #tautai4lyfe