Sa'ili-Seek 2
Alison Leauanae

5 - 26 April 2025
Bergman Gallery | Auckland
3/582 Karangahape Road
(Entrance via 2 Newton Road)

Opening Saturday 5 April, 12-4pm, all welcome.

Samoa/New Zealand artist Alison Leauanae explores ancestral and personal migration in Sa’ili – Seek 2, the latest evolution of her debut solo exhibition. Through contemporary hand-stitched and hand-woven works on paper, she develops a visual language that reflects both her cultural heritage and the broader narratives of Pacific diaspora and global emigration.

Leauanae’s artistry weaves together the dual influences of her upbringing—threaded with the delicate craft of her Palagi/Pākehā grandmother and the bold contemporary works of her Samoan uncle, I'iga Iosua To’afa. Her work begins with the meticulous act of pre-punching holes into paper, a meditative, almost ritualistic process that sets the stage for intricate stitching and weaving.

The exhibition considers the motivations behind leaving the familiar in search of opportunity — echoing the universal experience of migration. Inspired by childhood bus tickets, Leauanae transforms the punched-out shapes into symbols of movement, passage, and connection. These abstract motifs, arranged as a coded script, express themes of fa’amoemoe (hope) and alofa (love), evoking the layered and deeply personal nature of diasporic journeys.