Overview
Too many people take photographs. They
take and they don't give back. I'm just not comfortable with that.
For me it is better to give than to receive.
The theme that runs strongly through my work is cultural
displacement, colonial impact on indigenous cultures, particularly
Pacific Islands', and religious Christian iconography's mutation of
tribal and so-called primitive icons.
Greg Semu
Greg Semu (born 1971) is a New Zealand Samoan photographer who
grew up in Auckland but has lived in London, New York and Paris and
is now based in Sydney.
Comfortable in both the commercial and art world, Semu's work
includes fashion magazine spreads and music videos. His art has
been recognised recently by the awarding of residencies at the
Tjibaou Cultural Centre and the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, and
a place as a finalist in Singapore's Signature Art Prize.
Representative items have been selected for this display from
the archive which Semu recently deposited with the E H McCormick
Research Library on long-term loan. It is currently being
accessioned, described and re-housed.
A new work by Greg Semu is on display in the exhibition Home AKL at
Auckland Art Gallery from 7 July.
Until 8 November 2012
Mezzanine Level