Auckland-based artist Shigeyuki Kihara's solo exhibition opens at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on October 7.

The exhibition Shigeyuki Kihara: Living Photographs is an early survey of her dynamic career and will feature selections from four of her photographic series: 'Black Sunday', 'Fa'a Fafine: In a Manner of a Woman', 'Fale Aitu: House of Spirits' and 'Vavau: Tales from Ancient Samoa'.Auckland-based artist Shigeyuki Kihara's solo exhibition opens at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on October 7.

The exhibition Shigeyuki Kihara: Living Photographs is an early survey of her dynamic career and will feature selections from four of her photographic series: 'Black Sunday', 'Fa'a Fafine: In a Manner of a Woman', 'Fale Aitu: House of Spirits' and 'Vavau: Tales from Ancient Samoa'.Since 2003, Kihara has exhibited in New Zealand and internationally but after this new exhibition there will be no doubt Kihara has hit the New York art scene.

The Metropolitan Museum is the same venue that hosted the historic Te Maori exhibition in 1984. Twenty-four years later, this young Samoan-born multimedia and performance artist has secured her own wall space in the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing of the museum.

It will be the first solo exhibition to be held by an artist from New Zealand or the South Pacific region.

Brian Butler, director of ARTSPACE in Auckland isn't surprised to see Kihara's work appearing at the Met. "She's a great artist, full stop."

"You never know where international support will come from. They were looking at contemporary art in the world and obviously Virginia-Lee Webb [the curator] found it in Kihara's work" he added.

Along with the exhibition, Kihara will give an artist talk about her work and will perform her enthralling performance piece 'Taualuga; the last dance' to a New York audience.

Kihara's work is full of references to Samoa - whether from history, memories, traditional dance forms, or portrayals of great individuals and characters from legend.

The events will be an important catalyst for her career and Kihara intends to raise awareness of the art, ideas and issues coming from Samoa and indigenous peoples of the South Pacific.

The opening function on 7 October at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will bring together the New York art world along with dignitaries from New Zealand, Samoa and other South Pacific nations.

Independent documentary director Kirsty MacDonald will follow Kihara to New York to document this important encounter.

Image credit:
Photography by: Greg Semu

More Information

'Shigeyuki Kihara: Living Photographs'
October 7, 2008 - February 1, 2009
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, 1st floor
1000 Fifth Avenue. New York, New York 10028, USA
www.metmuseum.org

Special Events held in association with the exhibition

Sunday at the Met - 'Taualuga; the last dance'
Live performance by Shigeyuki Kihara
October 19, 2008, 3pm
The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

'Taualuga; the last dance' - An Artist's Talk
Artist talk by Shigeyuki Kihara
October 25, 2008, 7pm
Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall, Uris Center for Education

A full exhibition schedule for 'Shigeyuki Kihara: Living Photographs' can be viewed at www.metmuseum.org.

Shigeyuki Kihara

Kihara, of Japanese and Samoan parentage, came to New Zealand in 1989. Kihara was the recipient of the Emerging Pacific Artist Award from Creative New Zealand, the Arts Council of New Zealand, in 2003. Since then, Kihara has been exhibiting internationally with solo exhibitions including: 'Fa'a fafine: In a manner of a woman', Sherman Galleries, Sydney, 2005; and 'Vavau: Tales of Ancient Samoa', The Gus Fisher Gallery, University of Auckland, 2006.

Kihara's curatorial project 'Hand in Hand' co-curated by Jenny Fraser is currently showing at the University of Tasmania Plimsoll Gallery, Tasmania, Australia, until 3 October 2008.

Kihara's critically-acclaimed solo performance entitled 'Taualuga; the last dance' has been performed at the 4th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia; Haus der kulteren der welt, Berlin; Musee du Quai Branly, Paris; and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Apart from her visual art practice she is a performance artist, curator and freelance fashion editor. For more information, please visit: www.tautai.org

Image: Shigeyuki Kihara photographed by Greg Semu.

30/09/08