Members of Paemanu, a Ngāi Tahu contemporary visual arts collective, have been readying themselves for the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial opening in Brisbane.
They have been invited to participate in the Triennial alongside more than 300 artists, makers and thinkers from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific. Paemanu chairwoman Kiri Jarden said the collective was really looking forward to the experience.
"There will be at least 20 of us going, so it’s really exciting to be represented on a world stage.
"It’s going to be fun to share our stories."
Since being established in 2013, the 40-strong collective has exhibited at galleries across the South Island, including the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, but this would be members’ first time abroad — although some of the artists had individually exhibited overseas before.
"We’re harking back to our earlier approach with this exhibition — we’ll have four different projects within the space, credited to our collective, rather than the work of individual artists," Jarden said.
Part of their new work was inspired by the collective’s multi-day hikoi where members followed the Waitaki River mouth just out of Waihao to the glacial lakes at the foot of Aoraki-Mt Cook in November last year.
"There were about 40 of us who went on that journey. We had artists taking photographs — someone has collated those into an artwork.
"We also have a series of prints that respond to the rivers and places we might whakapapa too.
"There will also be small sculptures which will be featured in three separate works."
Jarden said the hīkoi was a singular experience.
"It was spectacular, and quite moving for those who hadn’t been that close to the river before."
She hoped Paemanu’s work would also resonate with Brisbane audiences.
"There is that river that runs through Brisbane — that’s why we hope they will connect to stories about our river.
"I think Brisbane River is a very powerful thing — people always associate water and rivers with where they belong and live.
"How people interact with their landscapes shapes their personality."
Jarden said ahead of this exhibition in Brisbane, they asked how they could act as good manuhiri (guests) when visiting another land.
"We want to acknowledge the Turrbal and Yaggera peoples, the original custodians of Brisbane, and find the things that connect us, the land and the river while also sharing some of those things which are important to us like whakapapa, mahinga kai, manaakitanga and kai hau kai."
The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial opens in Brisbane on November 30.
