Public festival celebrates Asian New Zealand artists

A curated collection of objects on display at Te Papa telling the stories of early Asian migrant-settlers and contemporary Asian Tauiwi communities in Aotearoa, a zine making workshop and a kai and kōrero with a Coromandel-based textile practitioner are just three events that feature in the Asian Aotearoa Arts Hui, on now in Pōneke Wellington.

The Asian Aotearoa Arts Hui is a public festival led by Te Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts in partnership with Creative New Zealand, Te Papa, Campus Co-Lab and Te Tira Ahu Pai. It aims to support artists from diverse backgrounds to lead creative conversations that challenge and nuance what Asian Aotearoa Arts might be. This year’s theme, ‘the Past, Present and Future’, was inspired by discussions with those who have been involved since the festival’s inception.

The programme’s Creative Director Associate Professor Kerry Ann Lee says the event has come a long way since it started ten years ago.

“Back then we were not interested in forming a club or association, it just meant so much that there were a few dozen of us in a room together. So what began as a humble gathering of Chinese Tauiwi creatives in a room together for the first time a decade ago, has grown into a network of hundreds of artists, and thousands of supporters across Aotearoa and overseas.”

She says a highlight of this year’s programme is the involvement of Singaporean arts organisation SAtheCollective, with a special screening of Kali Yuga. Co-founder of SAtheCollective and director/producer of Kali Yuga, Andy Chia, will join via Zoom for a post-screening talk with Dr Jon He. As well as a special kōrero on Wednesday 4 October with artists and national co-founders Simon Kaan, Kim Lowe, Kathryn Tsui and Amy Weng surveying 10 years of gathering.

Each artist will explore the following questions and themes throughout the week:

• What does it mean to create in the space between cultural frames, and how does this change over time?
• How can we honour our ancestors and Te Tiriti? And how do we acknowledge the urgency, complexity and the long-game of this mahi?
• What do we need – both personally and collectively – to nurture and sustain our hopes and dreams, our plans and schemes?

Students who have supported the Asian Aotearoa Arts Hui in the past are involved in this year’s programme. Designer and animator Abhi Topiwala, currently studying his Master of Design at Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, will be presenting his research, Work in Progress - Publicly celebrating an Aotearoa-Indian perspective during Diwali through Digital Rangoli.

Associate Professor Lee, who has led the hui since 2018, will take part in a panel discussion to close the event, alongside Maria Milmine, Filipina counsellor and mental health professional, Gia Espelita, fourth year Visual Communication Honours student, and Jas Sabrine, a multidisciplinary artist with a lens-based practice.

“Our conversation will explore the messy, yet vital space between cultures, in particular challenging expectations and stereotypes of being a ‘good migrant’. What does it mean to be a third culture kid in Aotearoa right now, as an ally and tangata Tiriti? And how might art, design, music and creative practices offer tools for connection, expression and new possibilities to survive and thrive?”

Discover the full Asian Aotearoa Arts Hui programme and follow along on Facebook and Instagram.