Nephi Tupaea’s first solo show will be ĀKINA Gallery’s last exhibition in its Municipal Building space.
Nephi Tupaea’s first solo show will be ĀKINA Gallery’s last exhibition in its Municipal Building space.
Nephi Tupaea’s first solo show is also ĀKINA Gallery’s last show in its current physical space, with Nephi coming full circle in a way, being one of the artists featured in Ākina’s opening exhibition and now again in its closing exhibition.
This was not a conscious decision on the gallery’s part as, with the timing of everything, it just happened to end up that way.
ĀKINA Gallery owner Sacha van den Berg said: “Like most things that happen at Ākina, we are guided by our tūpuna and we trust in the process.”
Running from June 24 to July 13, Nephi’s first solo show, The Effeminate Gaze, features a body of paintings that depict effeminate forms draped with kōwhaiwhai, exploring gender, religion, trauma and colonisation.
ĀKINA Gallery will host Nephi Tupaea's first solo exhibition as the gallery’s last.
To show this, she has used a bold and unique colour palate and has the ability to pair colours that would normally clash, presenting them in a way that gives life, vibrancy, depth and meaning to the paintings.
Nephi is a multi-media artist and longstanding member of the artist collective Pacific Sisters and iwi Ngāti Kahungunu.
She’s renowned for her creative dance performances, installations, body adornment, spoken word, fibre activation and innovative costume designs. For her solo show, Nephi’s art practice is guided through tūpuna intervention, where tikanga creates new conversations and develops indigenous symbols and images.
Gallery owner Sacha explained Nephi’s show is in recognition of the people who have paved the way to make it easier and safer for her and all takatāpui (LGBTQIA+ people). Nephi is taking the next step of looking at herself in the present.
“With a long history as a creative, there is a solidness in the foundation she has created. Her solo show asks of herself, ‘What is me now … what is me in the future?’ Sacha said.
One of Nephi Tupaea’s kōwhaiwhai art installations on show at the opening of ĀKINA Gallery more than eight months ago.
The artist’s use of kōwhaiwhai on the canvas connects her to te ao Māori, continually strengthened with every stroke painted. That becomes meditative and spiritual, with spirituality deconstructing colonial narratives.
“Clearing room to build fresh stories and taking kōwhaiwhai to its origins within manakitaanga gives us love, security and sanctuary, which is what we see in Nephi’s paintings. These are a true embodiment of the person that is Nephi,” Sacha said.
She is grateful for the timing of this exhibition and said while this is a closing show, it is an example of things to come.
“This show will give you a taster of what our future pop-up exhibitions will be like. They will be celebrations and, by natural behaviour, they will be collaborative.”
Nephi’s longtime friend, photographer Vivienne Haldane, is set to make a special guest appearance with her iconic circa 1990s black-and-white darkroom prints of the Pacific Sisters.
Photographer Vivienne Haldane is set to make a special guest appearance with her iconic black-and-white darkroom prints.
The Hawke’s Bay Rainbow Hub community are also joining the exhibition opening party and bringing a performative flash of colour by way of performances.
When asked why people should come and check out the exhibition, Sacha said: “This show is a celebration. It’s exciting, it’s fresh, it’s new.”
As well as it being Nephi’s very first solo show, ĀKINA Gallery is running a programme alongside the exhibition with workshops, research sessions and a panel discussion.
“What we are doing is all-inclusive, and we invite everyone to come to check it out and take part. The party is on Saturday, June 24 at 3pm, and the show and programme will run from then till July 13.
