sis: Sunameke Performance – 10.30 – 10.00am, Sun 14 Apr
Join Papua New Guinean performance group Sunameke as they revisit their 2015 APT8 work A’inaisa in the context of new work created for ‘sis: Pacific Art 1980-2023’.
sis: Backhand Maiden Tour – 11.30am – 12.15pm, Sun 14 Apr
Embark on a tour of the ‘sis: Pacific Art 1980-2023’ exhibition with Backhand Maiden, the third in a series of Nui Aitu (avatars) embodied by artist Rosanna Raymond. A high ranking, grand dame Backhand Maiden is inspired by two Pacific heroines, Sa’o tama’ita Fa’amu and Purea, a Tahitian high chief whom Captain James Cook called the Queen of Tahiti. Discover Backhand’s exhibition highlights complete with personal stories about individual works and their makers.
sis Discussion: Melanesian Marking – from old to new – 1.30 – 2.15pm, Sun 14 Apr
In this intergenerational discussion, ‘sis: Pacific Art 1980-2023’ artists Julia Mage’au Gray and Vasa Gray, alongside Ranu and Moale James discuss the family designs passed down through generations, which tell others who you are, where you are from, mark life transitions and are increasingly worn as a statement of body sovereignty and cultural connection. Hear more about the process of marking and how the contemporary practice of this artform connects individuals to ancestral stories, energy and spirits. Hosted by Moale James.
Image: Angela Tiatia, New Zealand b.1973 / Walking the wall (from ‘An Inventory of Gestures’ series) 2014 / Single-channel HD video: 13 minutes, looped, colour, sound / Purchased 2015. QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Angela Tiatia
