toward the morning sun

2013

Visual Art

Artist/s: Niki Hastings-McFall, Eric Bridgeman, Latai Taumoepeau, Torika Bolatagici, Maureen Lander, Rosanna Raymond, Samuel Tupou, Salote Tawale and Lisa Hilli.

Towards the Morning Sun was presented at Campbelltown Arts Centre from 6 September to 20 October 2013, celebrating contemporary Pacific art practice and cultural engagement processes. Curated by Keren Ruki, a New Zealand-born Australian-based curator and artist of Tainui descent, the exhibition brought together established and emerging Pacific artists including Niki Hastings-McFall, Eric Bridgeman, Latai Taumoepeau, Torika Bolatagici, Maureen Lander, Rosanna Raymond, Samuel Tupou, Salote Tawale and Lisa Hilli.

The exhibition explored how artists engaged with, questioned and reinterpreted elements of Pacific culture through performance, printmaking, installation, photo-media and video. It included existing works alongside new commissions developed through residencies and collaborations with Pacific communities across greater Sydney.

These processes included Samuel Tupou’s work with local Tongan communities, Brett Graham’s carving workshop and commissioned sculptural work, and Torika Bolatagici’s exploration of the militarisation of the Pacific body. The project reflected CAC’s commitment to Pacific arts development, community collaboration and socially engaged contemporary practice.