Java Bentley
Java Bentley
Java Bentley is a sculptural installation artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is the current Curator and Exhibitions Manager at Corban Estate Arts Centre. Bentley holds a Master of Māori Visual Arts (First Class Honours) from Toioho ki Āpiti (2024) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) with a conjoint in Art History from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland (2018).
Her whakapapa connects to Kaitāia and the Hokianga in Te Tai Tokerau through her mother’s tūpuna, who later settled in Tāmaki Makaurau. On her father’s side, her gafa traces back to Faatoia in Sāmoa, voyaging across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa to Aotearoa. Many of the stories that make up her lineage remain in the realm of the unknown — a space of ideas unbound by constraints. Since her father’s passing, Bentley has devoted her practice to serving this space, creating pathways for her nieces to connect the dots and carve out new, innovative journeys.
In 2023, she returned to her family home after a three-month curatorial and artist residency with Heerz Tooya in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. On her way back to Aotearoa, she attended the Venice Biennale Straniero Ovunque, where she was inspired by the powerful presence and embrace of Indigenous and Pasifika artists from Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.
Project Summary
Contributor – My Grandmother is my School: Ancestral Lines and Embodied Knowledges | Tate Modern | London, United Kingdom
This November, Java will accompany Mataaho Collective to London, United Kingdom, supported by Tautai’s Artists Across Borders fund. Invited by the Collective, Bentley will contribute to My Grandmother is my School: Ancestral Lines and Embodied Knowledges, a symposium at Tate Modern bringing together leading practitioners, curators, and researchers to exchange knowledge around the intergenerational transmission of Indigenous and cultural practices.
During the symposium, Bentley will assist with preparations, documentation, and practical support, and contribute a piece of writing amplifying Indigenous voices and kaupapa. Following the programme, she will remain in London for self-directed research, visiting galleries and museums, and connecting with artists and curators, including members of the Interis*land Collective. This opportunity will allow Bentley to engage deeply with London’s creative sector, build connections with Pasifika creatives abroad, and further develop her artistic and curatorial practice.
RESIDENCY SUMMARY
In November last year, I was invited to join Mataaho Collective as an emerging curator to attend My Grandmother is my School: Ancestral Knowledges, a symposium held at Tate Modern in London. This opportunity came about through a change in circumstances within the collective, which enabled me to participate and focus on my own individual project within the wider collective kaupapa. I was also supported by Tautai Pacific Arts Trust to spend an additional week in London, allowing time for individual research and professional development.
Given the short duration of the programme, much of the mahi continues to unfold now and into the future as I process and integrate the knowledge that was passed down to me. Rather than working toward fixed outcomes, I approached the experience as a space to bring things together, making decisions based on connection and care rather than success. This has shaped how I continue to sit with and carry the experience forward.
Alongside the symposium, I spent meaningful time reconnecting with my whānau just outside of London in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, and travelled to the beach in Worthing, West Sussex. I visited a range of cultural and public institutions, including Tate Modern, Gasworks, the National Portrait Gallery, Apollo Victoria Theatre, London Zoo, and an abandoned church site in Worthing. I also attended live performances by multidisciplinary artist, singer, lyrical healer and women’s advocate Seline Alidina, and North London-based musician Hector Doglini. These moments of everyday life were equally important, offering energy and sustenance that felt non-performative.
A key aspect of my growth came through international exposure, standing alongside Mataaho Collective overseas and gaining insight into the realities of working within major international institutions as both an artist and curator. I was also able to strengthen connections with Mataaho members Erena Arapere and Sarah Hudson, as well as with practitioners including Kimberly Moulten, Amrita Hepi, and members of the Interisland Collective.
The main challenge I faced was limited time. While I have travelled overseas for work before, this experience required me to embrace the speed while being kind to my body and capacity. The work has continued into the present, where I now have the space to integrate these learnings into my daily artistic and curatorial practice.
As a direct result of this experience, I have begun developing an integrated writing practice. Mataaho Collective invited me to write a response to the trip, which has generated momentum for me to continue writing daily for my own practice. Through this, my curatorial and artistic work are beginning to weave together in new ways that may not have been possible if they remained separate. I intend to continue developing this practice and am interested in applying for the Open Call Attention Studies at The Physics Room.
My advice to others invited to similar programmes is to treat them as small moments in time that continue to reveal themselves. Short trips are intense, so I encourage setting quiet goals, staying open and fluid, and pacing yourself. The learning will continue to untangle itself in the months to come.
