Art installation to be exhibited at Polyfest
From left, He Waka Tuia manager Sarah Brown and outreach curator Saskia Whall, with Mīharo Murihiku kaitiaki Baba Kuresa and business and finance manager Tara McIntosh, with artworks created by Te'Okotā'i Paitai.
The highly-anticipated Mīharo Murihiku Polyfest will kick off in Waihōpai Invercargill soon, with this year’s event set to feature an art installation in collaboration with He Waka Tuia celebrating the power of Pasifika creatives.
Set to begin on Monday, this year’s week-long Mīharo Murihiku Polyfest celebrations would include an installation first exhibited by the Invercargill Public Art Gallery at He Waka Tuia, showcasing the artistry of Auckland-based creative Te'Okotā'i Paitai: the first William Hodges Fellowship recipient of Pasifika descent.
The Southland Art Foundation’s Williams Hodges Fellowship residency was designed to bring esteemed New Zealand visual artists to the region.
Of Cook Islands, Māori, Samoan, and Scottish descent, Paitai had shown the artworks created during his residency in Invercargill in January. The Invercargill Public Art Gallery had subsequently bought one of the two bodies of work he had created, Tuoro.
He Waka Tuia manager Sarah Brown said the installation was about taking Tuoro to a place filled with energy and culture, to connect with and inspire performers and spectators.
“Art doesn’t have to live inside four walls. Bringing this work to Polyfest gives Paitai’s work the opportunity to meet people where they are,” she said.
“Polyfest is all about young people, our next generation of creatives, and the expression of cultures that make our world a richer place, which makes it feel like a natural place for this artwork to be seen and experienced. We’re really delighted to be collaborating with our friends at Mīharo to be part of what has become such a colourful celebration of our community.”
Mīharo Murihiku Polyfest, held at Stadium Southland in Invercargill, was now in its 17th year.
Mīharo Murihiku general manager Tania Carran said with about 9000 performers from throughout the takiwā, the event was one of the region’s largest for the cultural performing arts, and showcased performances from early childcare centres through to secondary schools.
“Polyfest is just a great platform for celebrating and amplifying Pasifika artists. We love working with our friends at He Waka Tuia, so to bring Tā'i’s exhibition into that space adds to what is already a very rich celebration,” she said.
“The arts are innate and all-encompassing: it’s part of who we are as a people. Our language, our dance, our art, our kai – it’s how we celebrate, and it’s hard to have one without the other.”
He Waka Tuia and Mīharo would also bring screen-printing workshops inside the exhibition space to Polyfest, Carran said.
Mīharo Murihiku Polyfest drew about 51,000 spectators every year.
“It’s really become part of our cultural fabric here in Southland, and it’s so very well-supported.”
The workshops on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 August would give the community the opportunity to learn and create alongside artist Numangatini (Numa) Mackenzie, whose practice spanned graf, tatau, mixed media, and Pasifika storytelling.
“We’re so excited to have Numa alongside at Polyfest, to inspire our community. These workshops are all about getting creative with what we already have, and invite everybody coming along to create something joyful of their own,” she said.
Entry to the workshops was free, with koha gratefully accepted, however spaces were limited. Participants were invited to bring along a piece of clothing to transform, and those keen to take part could email fogafu@miharo.com to register their interest.
