The new branch of East West Organics  in New Lynn, Portage Rd will sell organic produce, have a cafe, a garden center, a healing center upstairs and right at the front door an art gallery that hopes also have nz made crafts and goods. Being open 7 days a week will give the gallery plenty of foot traffic, good opportunity for sales and acknowledgement as an artist. The space is clean and fresh with good lighting.
OPPORTUNITY – CALL FOR ARTISTS
We are looking for artists keen to be a part of the new venture.  Art work and artists will be chosen on an individual basis to suit the space and vision of EWO. Artists do not have to be fully qualified or have years of experience but do need to have work of a high standard.  We welcome inspiring new artists to be involved as well as established artists.
There will be an opportunity  to exhibit on the feature wall for a 3 week show or have individual works displayed within the gallery space or around the building in prominent positions.  Commission will be 25% and fee to hang will be fair and affordable based on the space required for the work.  Posters can be designed and Artists will be acknowledged on the website. Artists needing insurance for their work should be aware that it is their own responsibility to acquire it. There may be time to sit in at the space if artist would like to promote their work and get some experience in a gallery.
STUDIO SPACE FOR ARTISTS
Funding is being sought to help support studio spaces which are presently in negotiation with land lord.  The costs would be reasonable and provide an area where artists can work solo or come together with like minded people. There may be space to do workshops and also be a part of the big picture that EWO is evolving into regards the arts. Now is a good time to show your interest and secure your future involvement.

For more information contact
Kym Marsden 811 8882 /0211 52 58 91
kymmarsden@hotmail.com
Nicky Hartley 817 81 51/022 6783344
nkhartley72@gmail.com

The 5th Auckland Triennial:
If you were to live here…
10 May – 11 August 2013

Artist Talks:

Janet Lilo in conversation with Nina Tonga. 18 May 2pm. Artspace.
Luke Willis Thompson, 26 May 3pm. Auckland Art Gallery.
Janet Lilo in conversation with Monique Redmond. 6 July 2pm Artspace.

The 5th Auckland Triennialopens in May at Auckland Art Gallery, Artspace, Fresh Gallery Otara as well as six additional sites across Auckland.  Led by renowned curator Hou Hanru, If you were to live here… includes work by more than 35 New Zealand and international artists, collectives and architects. Previously curator of major biennials including Lyon, Istanbul, and Guangzhou, Hou has invited artists to respond to the diverse cultural, social, architectural and urban characteristics of Auckland. ‘A triennial,’ he says, ‘is a space for producing new aesthetic forms and social spaces. It is not only an occasion to see art, but an interaction between artists, people and the city to envisage possible futures.’ Janet Lilo and Luke Willis Thompson are both participating in the Triennial. Janet’s show ‘Right of Way‘ opens at Artspace, 11 May – 13 July. Luke Willis Thompson’s ‘Untitled‘ show opens at the Auckland Art Gallery 10 May – 11 August.

The Exhibition & Performance Series
Gus Fisher Art Gallery
Auckland Arts Festival 2013
6 March – 6 April

Allowing the dust to settle, and giving oneself time and distance from the recent past generally allows one a vantage point where to survey from and if lucky one can admit that perhaps now we know ‘more than we know’.

The Auckland Arts Festival 2013 took place during the month of March and found Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust involved with several shows.  One of those shows was the exhibition and performance series More Than We Know that took place Gus Fisher Gallery which can be found in the Kenneth Myers Centre on Shortland Street.  A large red brick building that stands out like a sore thumb from the glass and chrome that lines the inner Auckland CBD.  People are beginning to gather outside the building along Shortland Street. It is Wednesday 6 March and the Auckland Arts Festival 2013 is having opening shows across the city.

Standing atop the iconic former broadcasting building stands Kalisolaite ‘Uhila cries out. This will be the first time that he has used his voice in his performance. A television camera man follows him across the roof of the Kenneth Myers Centre. The rest of the audience stand alongside the curb taking in his performance.

More Than We Know featured an exhibition, Spatial Resonance, co-curated by Kalisolaite ‘Uhila and Jeremy Leatinu’u, and a series of performances curated by Ioana Gordon-Smith.  The exhibition and performance series were at the Gus Fisher Gallery and were part of the 2013 Auckland Arts festival. The Gus Fisher Gallery is part of The University of Auckland’s National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries and is located in The Kenneth Myers Centre, 74 Shortland Street, a building with a long history in broadcasting.

All of the performances were literally in and around the Kenneth Myers Centre, and responded to the old broadcasting site.  The performance series featured artists; Darcell Apelu, Nastashia Simeona-Apelu, Jeremy Leatinu’u, Terry Faleono, Niu Navigations, Auckland University Dance School graduates, choreographer Sesilia Pusiaki Tatuila (with Pukepuke ‘o Tonga) and Kalisolaite ‘Uhila.

Rangituhia Hollis, an artist in his own right and a long time collaborator of Jeremy Leatinu’u contributed a sizeable essay to the More Than We Know catalogue with Ioana Gordon-Smith. Please take the time to view the online version of the More Than We Know catalogue here.  Below I have selected a list for those that want to read further about the More Than We Know show:

1. You are able to view the online version of the More Than We Know catalogue here.
2. View our YouTube channel here.
3. Mark Harvery’s review of More Than We Know for EyeContactSite here:
4. The online site for Auckland Arts Festival 2013 here.
5. Online Spasifik
6. Joshua Grace profile – North Harbour News
   
7. Jeremy Leatinu’u – Manukau Courier
8. Ali Ikram interview – TV3 Nightline
9. Saturday Mornings with Kim Hill
10. More Than We Know article – Tagata Pasifika
11. Read Rangituhia Hollis’ essay on his website.

The Pacific Islands Society (PacSoc) is calling on young artists (20-30 years old) from the Pacific region to submit portfolios of their work. Successful applicants will then have selected works from their portfolio featured on the PacSoc blog alongside a brief profile of the artist and contact information for how the artist can be reached.  PacSoc recognizes that the rich cultural tapestry of the Pacific Islands region is producing talented young Pacific artists. Unfortunately, a lack of awareness for their work is preventing them from realizing their full potential on the world stage.  “There is not a lack of interest in Pacific Islands culture here in Europe but rather a lack of familiarity. By simply sharing art, music, food, and dance from the Pacific Island Countries, we can bridge the geographic divide that separates London and Suva. In so doing, we will not only foster the spread of Pacific Islands culture but also provide opportunities for cultural entrepreneurs like young artists to discover new markets for their creations.” Pacific Islands Society President Eddie Walsh.  Over the next year, the Society will work to have the works of selected artists featured at a Pacific Artists: The Next Generation cultural event being planned for the spring of 2014 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.  If you are interested in being considered for this opportunity, please forward a one-page expression of interest, 3-5 high-resolution photos of your best work, and any coverage that your art has received in your local media to pacificislandssociety@gmail.com by 17:00 GMT on 30 JUNE 2013.  The Pacific Islands Society is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting stronger people-people relations within the Pacific Islands region and beyond.  Pacific Artists: The Next Generation is one of the society’s programmes designed to empower young leaders in the Pacific Islands region.

Website: http://pacificislandssociety.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PacificIslandsSociety
Twitter: @PacIslandsSoc
Originally published on Urban Viti: http://urbanviti.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/pacsoc-artists-program/

How postcards of Pacific peoples have distorted and shaped views of their cultures is the starting point for the exhibition Return To Sender at Papakura Art Gallery from 20 April to 1 June 2013.

The exhibition, curated by Cora-Allan Wickliffe explores how historic postcards, created to satisfy tourists’ appetite for the exotic, shaped the identity, and contemporary perceptions, of Pacific peoples. Wickliffe selected some of the postcard images and gave them to nine Auckland-based Pacific artists, asking them to respond to the romantic clichés with the reality of people living in the Pacific and who immigrated here.  Return To Sender features the work of established artists, including Lonnie Hutchinson, and emerging artists such as Louisa Afoa.
“I love exploring colonial constructs,” Wickliffe said. “History creates its own identity. The postcards show how you can be seen as exotic simply because you come from an island. The touristic perception has added to the exoticism of our realities. The artists in the show work with these realities that have displaced elements of Pacific culture and endeavour to discover a position to respond from that is relevant and current,” she said. “Return To Sender enables Pacific artists to address touristic ideologies and explore how commercial influences have largely formed an exoticism in relation to Pacific identity.”

Return To Sender is part of Papakura Art Gallery’s support of an annual Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust exhibition that enables a Pacific artist to curate an exhibition of other artists’ work. The exhibition series was inaugurated last year with Girls Who Shoot / Boys Who Draw curated by Janet Lilo. Since the 1980s, Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust has facilitated opportunities to nurture, mentor and advocate for Pacific artists. Its recent efforts include this year’s Fly Me Up To Where You Are: Te Waharoa exhibition, the More Than We Know exhibition and Performance Series, and secondary school and tertiary programmes for students of Pacific heritage. Tautai also maintains the country’s most comprehensive website for information on pacific art and artists.

Papakura Art Gallery

www.tautai.org

The energy and diversity of contemporary Pacific performance in the world’s biggest Pacific city is showcased in an exhibition and performance series from some of Auckland’s most exciting young artists. Kalisolaite ‘Uhila‘s compelling live performance intersects with the videoed performances of Jeremy Leatinu’u in their collaborative exhibition More Than We Know. During Auckland Arts Festival they are joined by outstanding dance, performance and spoken word practitioners including Sesilia Pusiaki, Darcell Apelu, and Nastashia Simeona Apelu for a dynamic series of street-side public performances. Performances will take place on the steps of Gus Fisher Gallery 5pm – 5.30pm Mon – Fri during the Festival.

For more information about the exhibition please visit here.

For more information about the performances please visit here.

For more information about the Auckland Arts Festival 2013 please visit here.

The Pacific Dance Fono has been an annual dance event since 2006 and is a forum for Pacific dance practitioners, choreographers, academics, managers and directors to discuss issues around Pacific dance especially relating to its place in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

2013 will be the seventh fono and will take place at the University of Auckland’s magnificent Fale Pasifika within the Pacific Studies department.  This year will also feature special keynote speaker and kumu hula Blaine Kamalani Kia from Hawai’i.

Kumu Blaine is the founder and president of the Ka Laua’e Foundation, a network of 15 halau (hula schools) across the Pacific, America, Japan and most recently in New Zealand. Besides offering a wonderful knowledge of ancient Hawaiian hula, Kumu Blaine also offers experience in running a large dance organization and an idea, a theme, a knowing – as is outlined in his theme, “Ke Ao Lewa – The Realm of Consciousness”.

“Ke  Ao Lewa” The Realm of Consciousness

“Ke Ao Lewa” speaks volumes about how we are to be conscientious with who we are as a “people” striving, coping, and succeeding in the twenty-first century of a technological world.

“Ke Ao Lewa” requires us to open your eyes beyond the earth’s surface and gravitation of worldly influences and to look, seek beyond the human comprehension for many of our answers are in the realms of the clouds, the stars, the moon, and the heavens.  We are sometimes short-sighted and fail to look deeper into our consciousness when the art of Hawaiian dance can become vapid and lose its ‘mana’.  A world of knowledge is in the dance, from the dance, by the dance.  “Ao.” A realm of knowledge!

“Ke Ao Lewa” teaches us to always look beyond the human form.  To seek that which cannot be obtained by physical forms.  We must manifest ourselves in the realms of our ‘kupuna’ through the art of dance and allow ones senses to connect to the higher realms above.  This is the ultimate satisfaction.  To “know” you are a part of their realm of “Lewa.” A consciousness! ~ Kumu Blaine Kamalani Kia

Iosefa Enari – Director of PDNZ

Pacific Dance New Zealand is honoured to have Kumu Blaine Kia as this year’s keynote speaker and international guest. Kia follows a line of important speakers who have shaped the fono over the years to what it is today. Kumu Blaine will bring to this important event his own practical and philosophical position as to where dance is placed in the 21st century and its role in continuing to bridge the old and new worlds. These are vital notions when looking at dance as cultural milestones in our history and Pacific region. We look forward to this year’s event and the talanoa (discussion) that yields for our community here in New Zealand Aotearoa.

When:
Friday 8th March,
10am – 12:30pm (Keynote and open discussion)
12:30pm – 1:00pm (lunch)
1:00pm – 4:00pm (Practical workshop)
4:00pm – 5:00pm (networking)

Where:
Fale Pasifika, Auckland University
Cost:
Waged – $20 pre-registered, $25 on the day
Unwaged – $10 pre-registration, $15 on the day
Download a registration form here
Email – auckland@pacificdance.co.nz
Phone – 09 376 00 60

Download a registration form here:  Registration_Form_Fono_2013

NZ Film, Tongan Ark, is selected to screen ‘In Competition’ at FIFO Pacific International Documentary Film Festival, 11^th – 17^th February 2013

Ancient philosophy, opera and Tongan culture come together in this intimate portrait of a teacher, his school and his people as they navigate a sea of repression and doubt in a small but troubled Pacific island kingdom. Tongan Ark is a meditation on society, nature and the search for permanence aboard a lifeboat of culture, ahead of its time, on a sea of change.

Tongan Ark is a bold new feature documentary film, the first film of its kind to come out of Tonga, which premiered to critical acclaim at the 2012 New Zealand International Film Festival.

Tongan Ark inducts us into the surprising world of revolutionary thinker and educator Futa Helu and his ‘Atenisi Institute, an unconventional Tongan institution that proudly stands apart from church and state. Built on the swampy outskirts of Nuku’alofa, ‘Atenisi is probably the world’s smallest and poorest university – an island within an island where freedom of thought and artistic expression are paramount. After 40 years the school buildings are crumbling and Futa, the charismatic leader and activist for Tongan democracy, is forced to retire…

In Director Paul Janman’s words,“The existence of the school itself is a miracle, in the face of opposition in Tonga, crippling financial struggle and rapid social change that threatens to eliminate critical forms of education. Futa’s story is not fully known even in Tonga but it has a heroic global resonance”.

Tongan Ark is Paul Janman’s feature debut and was conceived from personal experience of the teachings of Futa Helu during two years spent at his iconoclastic institute. The project would take another seven years, as Paul returned to Tonga regularly throughout the production. The final work came out of extended journeys in Tonga at pivotal moments in the tiny nation’s history including the 2006 riots, the coronation of King George V and the transition to democracy in 2008.

Janman states, “it was always important to avoid the common ‘once over lightly’ kind of documentary making; and through collaboration and participation, to take the culture and the ideas at the core of the film more seriously. What has emerged is something more subtle, poetic and indirect but revitalised and interventionist”.

Tongan Ark is a lyrical documentary that came out of a prolonged relationship with ‘Atenisi people. The film seeks a kind of sensuous immersion in metaphysical and aesthetic ideas, the ironies of the modern Pacific and of course the charismatic person of Futa Helu, his family and his eccentric band of dissenters.

Independently produced, written and directed by Auckland based husband and wife team, Paul and Echo Janman, Tongan Ark was self-funded with assistance from Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Film Commission.

FIFO 11^th – 17^th February, 2013

http://en.fifo-tahiti.com/

For more information please visit these links:
Tongan Ark Official Website
Tongan Ark Facebook Page

For media enquiries please contact
Producer, Echo Janman: echo.janman@gmail.com / 021 202 5664
Director, Paul Janman: janman.paul@gmail.com / 021 263 4244

Artspace

Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is teaming up with Artspace in 2013 to offer the first of three Education Internships focused on connecting students and young people with the most exciting artists and their creations of challenging and inspiring contemporary art. Made possible by a grant from Creative New Zealand’s Sector Development Incentive fund, the programme recognises the importance and value of Artspace engaging with New Zealand’s growing community of young Pacific Islanders in a meaningful and sustainable way.

The Intern will develop a tailored education programme at Artspace, actively encouraging the involvement of local primary, secondary and tertiary schools. Tautai and Artspace together with a pool of mentors, will work collaboratively to assist each intern in generating workshops and events with the specific aim of attracting young students to contemporary art and working with them to form an education program about the art made now and its potential. The internship runs on a 9-month contract (30 hours p/w). It will be preferably awarded to a candidate who has strong ties within the Pacific community. The first internship is to be fully advertised in January 2013.