Curator and artist talk: Pacific Sisters: He Toa Tāera | Fashion Activists

Artist and Pacific Sisters’ member Feeonaa Wall will join forces with Senior Curator, NZ and Pacific Art, Ron Brownson, to give an illustrated talk on Pacific Sisters: He Toa Tāera | Fashion Activists, prior to the Members Preview of the exhibition. Take a trip down memory lane to the genesis of the Pacific Sisters in the 1990s, and learn about the work of the Sisters now and then, as well as the development and design of this exhibition.

About the exhibition

Pacific Sisters: He Toa Tāera | Fashion Activists is a major retrospective exhibition of the work of the Pacific Sisters, an collective of Pacific and Māori fashion designers, artists and performers. Through pioneering, daring shows, the Pacific Sisters overturned stereotypes about Pacific culture, ‘dusky maiden’ beauty and sexuality. The show has been developed and toured by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and was curated by Te Papa curator of Pacific Art Nina Tonga. It opens on at Auckland Art Gallery on Saturday 23 February 2019.

About the speakers

Feeonaa Wall

Feeonaa is a long-time member of the Pacific Sisters collective. She works predominantly with adornment of the body, movement and sound. One of her costumes was part of the New Zealand Fashion Museum’s exhibition Intellectual Fashion Show 2016. Feeonaa says, ‘Auckland is Pacific Sisters’ original base, where we met, grew organically and thrived! This is like a homecoming for us, and we can’t wait to share these works and our history in the city where it all began.’

Ron Brownson

Ron Brownson is Senior Curator New Zealand and Pacific Art at Auckland Art Gallery. Among his many exhibition and publication projects are John Kinder Photographs, Rita Angus, 1950s Auckland Photographers, John Ioane, Ross T. Smith, John Pule, Marti Friedlander, Greg Semu, Pat Hanly, L. Budd et al, Gretchen Albrecht, Fatu Feu’u, John Kinder’s New Zealand and Michael Smither. Ron is the Coordinating Curator for Pacific Sisters: He Toa Tāera | Fashion Activists.

To book

Book for this Members-only event by using the link in our February 2019 Members enewsletter. Or, if you're not already a Member, sign up for membership on the day the event.

Photography by and courtesy of Vivienne Haldane.