Manukau residents are in for a unique cross-city and cross-cultural arts experience with a new experimental video installation investigating the Samoan experience in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Samoan-born Manukau resident Tanu Gago’s first solo exhibition, YOU LOVE MY FRESH, was developed specifically for Pakuranga’s Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts.
Te Tuhi invited Ema Tavola, Pacific arts co-ordinator for Manukau City Council and manager of Fresh Gallery Otara, to curate the project with a view to forming an ongoing relationship between the public galleries.
Ms Tavola says that the work explores Samoan identity, emotional dislocation and the passing down of cultural values from generation to generation.
“The artist draws upon his experiences growing up as a Samoan in an English-speaking multi-cultural family in south Auckland. The work is personal and political and evokes ideas about nationhood, longing and belonging.”
YOU LOVE MY FRESH is an intriguing cinematic video work that combines choreography by Quincy Ray Filiga, music by King Kapisi (Mushroom Recordings); documentary footage, performance and animation.
Also, a public event, YOU LOVE MY FRESH: Construction + Context, has been planned in support of the exhibition, with Mr Gago and Ms Tavola being joined by guest speakers Rebecca Ann Hobbs, Leilani Kake, Iosefa Enari, Ron Brownson, Quincy Ray Filiga and Dominic Fryer in a discussion on the collaborative nature, artistic sensibilities, technical and contextual thinking behind the work.
Mr Gago has previously been involved in the video project, small axe 09, produced by Janet Lilo and shown at Auckland’s ARTSPACE (September 2009). His short film, The Woods, was included in the Manukau Film Festival 2008.
YOU LOVE MY FRESH is presented as part of Manukau Festival of Arts 2010. The exhibition and the public programme are free.
What,when,where
YOU LOVE MY FRESH
A solo exhibition by Tanu Gago
Curated by Ema Tavola
Opening preview: Saturday 11 September, 2pm
Exhibition dates: 12 September – 5 December 2010
Public Programme: YOU LOVE MY FRESH: Construction + Context
When: Saturday 16 October, 2pm
Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts
13 Reeves Rd, Pakuranga
For enquiries phone (09) 577 0138.