Marama Dina at Campbelltown Arts Centre

Published by: The Press Society | 27-Jun-2019
Campbelltown Arts Centre is pleased to announce Marama Dina, an exhibition led by Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand female artists with iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) heritage. Opening 17 August and running until 13 October 2019, this international collaboration is the result of research and community workshops and sees the artists take over the gallery to share their exploration of cultural rejuvenation and celebration with the wider community.
Venue: Campbelltown Arts Centre
Address: 1 Art Gallery Road, Campbelltown, NSW, 2560, Australia
Date: 17 August - 13 October 2019
Time: Gallery open 10 AM - 4 PM
Ticket: Free
Web: http://c-a-c.com.au/marama-dina/
Featuring new commissions by ten artists from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, Marama Dina considers female iTaukei identities in the diaspora, away from Fiji or away from village life. The artists each consider how their blood lines and contemporary lives come together, and how they embody the past, present and future, connecting with empowering cultural knowledge previously eroded by colonisation and migration.

Marama Dina is an exhibition borne of research and engagement, with ongoing work led by creative research collective The Veiqia Project, inspired by the almost-destroyed practice of Fijian female tattooing (veiqia) and the impact of iTaukei practices on diasporic identities. Members of the project have been in residence at the gallery since October 2017 and during this time have run workshops with women of Fijian ancestry, which were met with overwhelmingly positive responses from the community. Each session exploring iTaukei culture and contemporary arts created a communal space within which participants could seek knowledge and explore what it is to be a 'Fijian' woman in Western Sydney.

A highlight of the new exhibition will be a vale ni soqo (village meeting house). The installation will be constructed within the gallery to offer a welcoming space where Pasifika communities can gather, learn and share knowledge.

Artists presenting work include:

Margaret Aull, Torika Bolatagici, Donita Vatuinaruku Hulme, Yasbelle Kerkow, Joana Monolagi, Dulcie Stewart, Salote Tawale, Luisa Tora, MC Trey aka Thelma Thomas and Emele Ugavule.

Marama Dina is respectfully led by a curatorium comprising members of The Veiqia Project, local Pasifika women and Campbelltown Arts Centre staff.

Newsletter Sign Up

Join Our Growing Community

ART NEWS PORTAL is a global crowd sourced art news feed.
Everyone is welcome to share their art and culture related news.