He Wai Ngunguru Nomads of the Sea: Lisa Reihana
Lisa Reihana: He Wai Ngunguru - Nomads of the Sea
Lisa Reihana MNZM, skillfully merges meticulous research and primary sources with reimagined narratives, shedding light on the rich culture and history of the Māori and Pacific Islader communities. Employing a diverse range of artistic mediums, such as performance art, photography, installation pieces, as well as video and animation, Reihana constructs immersive cinematic tableaus. Her recent endeavours portray the historical encounters between colonial powers in the South Pacific as an ongoing web of entanglements between European settlers and indigenous peoples, with far-reaching implications that persist to this day.
Reihana's captivating installation, He Wai Ngunguru - Nomads of the Sea (2019), interweaves fact and fiction to explore the complex social dynamics of 19th century New Zealand. Through the character of Storyteller, an enigmatic figure that fluidly shifts between masculine and feminine voices, viewers are introduced to Charlotte Badger, a Pakeha settler woman who defies societal norms through her mutinous actions, and Puhi, a proud wahine descendant of the Ngā Puhi tribe, whose jealousy is stirred by Charlotte's rising influence.
Lisa Reihana Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tūpoto, Ngāti Hine, Ngāituteauru
Lisa Reihana, CNZM is a pioneering moving image and digital media artist. Of Ngapuhi descent Reihana’s practice spans across four decades as she innovatively explores history, culture, and identity through performance, photography, installations, and multimedia. Her immersive works traverse fact and fiction, offering an interpretive viewpoint that beings fresh perspectives on colonial encounters and the dynamics between indigenous communities and European settlers.
Through her groundbreaking artistic contributions, Lisa Reihana has played a key role in the development of video, film and moving image within contemporary New Zealand art and her practice has made a significant contribution to the development of Māori moving image and contemporary Māori art inspiring a new generation of Māori digital media artists.