Jasmine Tuiā 2021
Jasmine Tuiā (Matautu and Gagaifo, Anoāma’a Falefā and Malifa Apia, Samoa; West Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand) was one of the participants in Tautai's Oceania Internship programme for 2021, which she carried out at Te Tuhi. While Tuiā's original plans to curate an exhibition at Parnell Project Space were hampered by the Covid-19 lockdown, Tuiā seized upon her internship as opportunity to produce a limited edition artists' book, Tālofa lava uō oe: I write letters, what do you do?
Written, edited and designed by Tuiā, the book is structured by written correspondence between Tuiā and six local artists during the lockdown in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Tālofa lava uō oe compiles the letters, artworks and poems exchanged between Tuiā and her chosen artists during this period, charting the importance of communication and collaboration between a group of young artists in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Tuiā is a Sāmoan tapa maker and uses embroidery and stitching to think about Moana cultural memory. From the villages of Matautu Lefaga, Falefa Anoama'a and Malifa Sāmoa, Tuiā explores her familial connections to these places through Sāmoan techniques of storytelling and siapo. Her curatorial and community facilitation passions involve collective talanoa, or conversations, and community collaborations.
James Tapsell-Kururangi 2020–2021
James Tapsell-Kururangi (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino, Tainui, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa) was awarded the role of curatorial intern in January 2020. During his internship, Tapsell-Kururangi curated a programme of exhibitions and events at Papatūnga, the name he gave Te Tuhi's Parnell Project Space at Parnell Station. The name Papatūnga appealed as one translation for platform (a platform for artists, not just trains), but also for its connection to papatūānuku, papa kainga (home), kaupapa and, simply, papa (place, space).
Tapsell-Kururangi is an artist, curator and writer. He graduated from Massey University with a Master of Fine Arts (First Class Honours) in 2019, and has had his artwork featured in exhibitions across Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. Curatorially, Tapsell-Kururangi's practice centres local Māori histories and focuses on building relationships within the community of artists he works with. His artistic practice is built from his whakapapa, in which he composes waiata framed within moving image artworks.
See a list of exhibitions and events curated by James Tapsell-Kururangi at Papatūnga below:
→ Te Pō
→ Fashion show: Rawiri Brown, Emma Jing-Cornall & Taylor Groves
→ Isabella Loudon: wastelands
→ Qianye Lin & Qianhe 'AL' Lin: What a thrill, WHAT A SUCCESS!!
→ MASS Alexandria
→ Shaun Thomas McGill: Durham Street West [Men's Convenience]