Shigeyuki Kihara
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Yuki Kihara (born 1975) is an interdisciplinary artist of
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
and Samoan descent. In 2008, her work was the subject of a solo exhibition at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in New York; it was the first time a
New Zealander New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
and the first time a
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
had a solo show at the institution. Titled ''Shigeyuki Kihara: Living Photographs'', the exhibition opened from 7 October 2008 to 1 February 2009. Kihara's self-portrait photographs in the exhibitions included nudes in poses that portrayed colonial images of Polynesian people as sexual objects. Her exhibition was followed by an acquisition of Kihara's work for the museum's collection. Much of Kihara's work challenges cultural stereotypes and dominant norms of sexuality and gender found across the globe. Kihara is also a fa'afafine, the
third gender Third gender is a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. It is also a social category present in societies that recognize three or more genders. The term ''third'' is usuall ...
of Samoa. Born in
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
, Kihara's mother is Samoan and her father is Japanese. Kihara immigrated to
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
, New Zealand at the age of fifteen to further her studies. She trained in
fashion design Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates ...
at Wellington Polytech (now Massey University). In 1995, while still a student, Kihara's ''Graffiti Dress – Bombacific'' was purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa). Kihara's exhibition ''Teuanoa'i: Adorn to Excess'' was composed of twenty six t-shirts that took large corporations' logos and re-appropriated them. Kihara described the concept "to subvert the system of power which governs the lives of Indigenous peoples today." Kihara lives and works in
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
, where she has been based over the last 10 years.


Exhibitions

Kihara has exhibited their work extensively in New Zealand and internationally with solo exhibitions including: ''Fa'a fafine: In a manner of a woman'', Sherman Galleries, Sydney, 2005; ''Vavau: Tales of Ancient Samoa'', The
Gus Fisher Gallery Gus Fisher Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located in the Kenneth Myers Centre, a historic building restored in 2000 with the help of the gallery's patron, Gus Fisher (1920–2010). The gallery exhibits a re ...
,
University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
, 2006; ''Undressing the Pacific'', Hocken Collections' art gallery,
University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...
, 2013; and ''A Study of a Samoan Savage'' at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, 2016. Kihara's works have been presented at The Asia Pacific Triennale (2002 & 2015); Auckland Triennale (2009); Sakahàn Quinquennial (2013); Daegu Photo Biennale (2014); Honolulu Biennale (2017) and The Bangkok Art Biennale (2018).


Collections

Kihara's work can be found in the public collections of; Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand; Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand; The University of Auckland Art Collection, New Zealand; Massey University, New Zealand; Hocken Collections, Dunedin, New Zealand;
Waikato Museum Waikato Museum ( mi, Te Whare Taonga o Waikato) is a regional museum located in Hamilton, New Zealand. The museum manages ArtsPost, a shop and gallery space for New Zealand art and design. Both are managed by the Hamilton City Council. Outside ...
of Art and History, New Zealand; Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney Australia; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Australia; Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia; University of Cambridge Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, UK and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.


Performance art

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


Curating and writing

As a curator, Kihara curated a number of exhibitions, among others, including ‘Hand in Hand’ (1999) co-curated with Jenny Fraser featuring over 30 queer Indigenous artists across Oceania presented between Boomalli Aboriginal Arts Collective and Performance Space as part of The Sydney Gay Mardi Gras. She also collaborated with Banaban scholar and artist Katerina Teaiwa on Project Banaba, at Carriageworks, NSW, Australia, November–December 2017. The project continues to tour;‘Project Banaba’ was recently presented at MTG Hawke's Bay Tai Ahuriri; and will be touring The Oceania Arts Centre, The University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji opening in November 2020. In 2015, Kihara collaborated as artistic co-director alongside Berlin-based choreographer Jochen Roller on a dance production entitled ‘Them and Us’ which premiered at Sophiensaele, Berlin and toured across Germany and Switzerland. Roller and Kihara are currently working on a major dance production entitled ‘Crosscurrents’ which premiers in Germany in 2020. The research and development of ‘Crosscurrents’ is supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste. A publication entitled ‘Samoan Queer Lives’ featuring 14 autobiographical chapters from Fa’afafine & LGBTIQ+ Samoans based in Samoa, American Samoa, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Hawai’i & Turtle Island USA co-edited by Kihara and Dan Taulapapa McMullin published by Little Island Press was launched in October 2018 in Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa with the support of The New Zealand High Commission. As a writer, Kihara's essays have been published in Prestel, Cambridge Scholars Publishing and University of Hawaii Press.


Awards

Yuki Kihara was the recipient of the
Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...
Emerging Pacific Artist Award at the 2003
Arts Pasifika Awards The Arts Pasifika Awards celebrate excellence in Pacific arts in New Zealand. The annual awards are administered by Creative New Zealand and are the only national awards for Pasifika artists across all artforms. The Arts Pasifika Awards includ ...
. In 2007, she was also the first artist-in-residence at ''The Physics Rooms Art Residency'' in
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
. In 2012, she was awarded the
Wallace Art Awards The annual Wallace Art Awards are the largest and longest-running art awards of their type in New Zealand. They were established by James Wallace in 1992. Awards are made for contemporary painting, sculpture and photography and are run by the J ...
Paramount Award.


Venice Biennale

Yuki Kihara will represent New Zealand at the 2021 Venice Biennale, making her the second artist of Pacific descent to represent the country at the world's oldest art biennales.
Lemi Ponifasio Salā Lemi Ponifasio (born in Lano Samoa), is globally renowned for his progressive application to theatre, politicking, and engagement with indigenous, Māori and Pacific peoples. He was the Arts Foundation Laureate in 2011, and was the recipi ...
was the first in 2003, 2010 and 2015


Further reading

Clifford, Andrew (ed), ''Yuki Kihara: A Study of a Samoan Savage'', Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, 2016 ''APT8: The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art'',
Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galler ...
, 2015 Brownson, Ron, ''Home AKL'', Auckland Art Gallery, 2012


References


External links


Yuki Kihara: Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kihara, Shigeyuki 1975 births Living people Samoan artists Samoan emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand people of Japanese descent Samoan people of Japanese descent New Zealand LGBT artists Samoan LGBT artists Fa'afafine 20th-century New Zealand artists 21st-century New Zealand artists 21st-century New Zealand women artists