If the shoe fits is the result of the inaugural $25,000 Aniva Arts Residency, funded by Creative New Zealand through the Pacific Arts Strategy 2018 - 2023. The exhibition profiles fourteen members of Porirua and wider Wellington’s Māori and Pasifika rainbow communities and was developed and curated by Sevia Saviour Nua (known as Saviiey), the first Aniva Arts Resident. If the shoe fits opens at Pātaka on 17 December and runs through the summer until 20 February.

Using shoes as a metaphoric and literal representation of the struggles and stories of MVPFAFF+, Takatāpui,and LGBTQiA+ communities, If the shoe fits is made up of fourteen portraits, fourteen video interviews  and fourteen shoes. It’s been created along similar lines to a film production, including location hunting, set design and lighting.

The residency supported Saviiey to work with Pātaka’s Curator Māori and Pacific, Ioana Gordon-Smith, to develop an artistic exploration and representation of MVPFAFF+ peoples. “We’re thrilled to present this vital and overdue exhibition on Porirua and Wellington’s MVPFAFF+, Takatāpui, and LGBTQiA+ communities,” she says. “The ambitious production and gatherings that underpin Saviiey’s show prove that the participants are bursting with talent, when given the opportunities to develop and deliver projects.”

The project has provided professional development for Saviiey that will act as a seed for future plans and projects, “We’re looking forward to seeing what happens next,” Ioana says.

Saviiey is a Fa’afafine with ancestral ties to the Sāmoan villages of Malie, Faleula and Asau on her mother’s side and Solosolo and Fagali’i on her father’s side. She was raised in Porirua and is driven by the need to create spaces within Porirua where MVPFAFF+ communities can gather and create. Saviiey also has extensive experience in kapa haka and performing arts, as well as a background in teaching. She holds a BA in Māori Performing Arts and a BA in Primary Education through Te Wananga o Raukawa, as well as a Master of Education through Victoria University, and is currently undertaking further study.

If the shoe fits
17 December 2021 - 20 February 2022
Pātaka: Art + Museum
FREE entry, www.pataka.org.nz