Opening Saturday March 1, 12-4pm, all welcome.
The post-pandemic world stands at a crucial inflection point, reshaping societies, economies, and cultural identities. As the dust settles, the collective consciousness grapples with themes of resilience, transformation, and redefinition. Artists, thinkers, and communities navigate the intersections of past trauma and future possibilities, using creativity as a tool for reflection and progress. This exhibition delves into the raw energy of change, presenting works that reflect powerful, personal experience.
Senior New Zealand and Pacific artist Andy Leleisi’uao captures the turbulence of diasporic identity and collective memory, portraying communities navigating cultural flux. His intricate stories unfold within a vortex of tradition and modernity, his trademark compositions inventing new societal structures, analyzing notions of place & acceptance.
Indonesian-Chinese artist Rozana Lee explores themes of migration and displacement, weaving together textile patterns and mixed media to evoke the dynamic currents of heritage and hybridity. Her work captures the fragmented yet interconnected nature of cultural identity, reflecting its ever-shifting and fluid essence.
The work of artist, curator, and activist Shannon Novak aims to grow positive mental health outcomes for queer communities worldwide through social practice. Works in this show explore Novak's identity and often isolated journey as a queer Croatian in Aotearoa New Zealand. Precious and semi-precious stones and metals, wood, glass, and resin are hand stitched to raw canvas reframing ancient Croatian symbols of protection as modern day wards against hate and violence.
Australian artist Lucas Grogan utilizes his signature blue-and-white palette to explore repetition and pattern, capturing themes of movement and emotional depth. In his Brainscans series, these elements become a striking metaphor for the tension between internal struggles and external influences in daily life.
Making their debut in this exhibition, Wellington’s Ben McCook-Weir and Berlin-based Cook Islander Taja Vaetoru offer fresh insights into the conversation. McCook Weir’s work delves into the personal and collective forces shaping the experience of iGen, while Vaetoru’s vibrant, large-scale raw canvas pieces explore cultural and diasporic narratives, inviting the viewer into a space that bridges memory and future aspirations.
Cook Islands digital artist Aaron Lassey merges technology with artistry, crafting captivating digital portraits that reimagine Pacific art. His work provides a fresh perspective on the region’s creative expression while celebrating the often-overlooked presence of queer Polynesian men. By seamlessly blending the physical and virtual realms, Lassey’s art challenges traditional boundaries and reflects the evolving social landscape of a small Pacific nation.
