Mina Ruaporo, Sella Vaoliko, Alofa Aiono, Saviiey Aliiva’a Nua, Luchiano Tuioti, Eddstar Tupolo, and Paris Kaitai at the opening of 'If the shoe fits' exhibition, 2021. Courtesy of Saviiey Aliiva’a Nua.
Pātaka Art+Museum and Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa are thrilled to announce the return of the Aniva Arts Residency for a Pacific artist or practitioner who identifies as LGBTQIA+/MVPFAFF.
The residency offers a paid, three-month residency based at Pātaka in Porirua to develop research, meet with identified artistic and cultural influencers, and create a body of work or artistic collaborations.
Applications open for the residency on 20 January and close on 24 March 2023. The residency for the successful candidate will run from August to November 2023.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be offering this residency,” says Pātaka Director Ana Sciascia. “We will be looking for applicants who are willing to engage and share their work with local Pacific LGBTQIA+/MVPFAFF communities and stakeholders.”
The successful artist will receive $6000 a month during the residency. There is also funding available to cover domestic travel, accommodation – if necessary – and material or project costs.
Ali Foa’I, Creative New Zealand’s Principal Adviser, Pacific Arts, is thrilled to be able to offer this residency again.
“The Aniva Residency aligns with the Tagata, Vā and Vaka pou of our Pacific Arts Strategy – and is the only artistic residency in the country available specifically to the Pasifika queer community.
“We acknowledge the Pasifika LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF+ creatives who have paved the way, so that future generations of our rainbow arts community may thrive. We are proud to support this legacy by offering this opportunity again, alongside Porirua City Council.”
This residency was first offered in 2021 and awarded to Saviiey Aliiva’a Nua – a Porirua-based community artist. She is also the chairwoman and director of Ngā Uti o Whiti Te Rā Mai Le Moana Trust.
Saviiey’s residency culminated in the exhibition If the shoe fits which was displayed at Pātaka in late 2021 through to February 2022. It explored shoes as a metaphoric and literal representation of the struggles and stories of the MVPFAFF+, Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ communities.
“Receiving the Aniva Residency is and was a blessing for not only me, but for my community as well,” says Saviiey. “Through this curatorial experience I was able to highlight, celebrate and bring forth the untold stories and struggles of the MVPFAFF+/Takatāpui/LGBTQIA+ community here in Porirua and the wider Wellington region.
“The transition from performing arts, my most familiar art discipline, into the curator/exhibition realm challenged me in many different ways as an artist to ensure the core purpose of the work was that I remained authentic while uplifting my communities.”
Consideration for the residency will be given to artists who have expertise in any of the following areas: visual art, heritage art, design, digital art, writing, public programming, performance or production, theatre, or curating.
To read the full guidelines for the Creative New Zealand Pacific Aniva Artist Residency 2023 or to apply for the residency, go to: https://pataka.org.nz/whats/events/aniva-arts-residency/.
Definitions
LGBTQIA+
L for Lesbian
G for Gay
B for Bisexual
T for Transexual
Q for Queer, Queer Gender
I for Intersex
A for Agender, Asexual
+ for other Queer identifying community
MVPFAFF
M for Mahu in Tahiti and Hawai’i
V for Vaka sa lewa lewa in Fiji
P for Palopa in Papua New Guinea
F for Fa’afafine in Samoa and American Samoa
A for Akava’ine in the Cook Islands
The second F for Fakaleiti or leiti in the Kingdom of Tonga
The third F for Fakafefine in Niue
17 Jan 2023
