Shigeyuki "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, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

in New York; it was the first time a New Zealander and the first time a

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

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 Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

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 or third sex is an identity recognizing individuals categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither a man nor a woman. Many gender systems around the world include three or more genders, deriving the concept either from ...

of Samoa. Born in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

, Kihara's mother is Samoan and her father is Japanese. Kihara immigrated to

Wellington Wellington 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 third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, 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 diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...

at Wellington Polytech (now

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

). In 1995, while still a student, Kihara's ''Graffiti Dress – Bombacific'' was purchased by the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...

(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

, 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 owned and operated by the University of Auckland in Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is loca ...

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, 2006; ''Undressing the Pacific'',

Hocken Collections Hocken Collections (, formerly the Hocken Library) is a research library, historical archive, and Art museum, art gallery based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its library collection, which is of national significance, is administered by the University ...

' art gallery,

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, 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 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

, New Zealand; The University of Auckland Art Collection, New Zealand; Massey University, New Zealand;

, Dunedin, New Zealand; Waikato Museum 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 Jochen Roller (born 1971) is a German choreographer and performance artist. Life Born in Berlin, Roller studied applied theatre studies at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen and choreography at the Rudolf von Laban centre in London. H ...

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 established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...

Emerging Pacific Artist Award at the 2003 Arts Pasifika Awards. In 2007, she was also the first artist-in-residence at ''The Physics Rooms Art Residency'' in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

. In 2012, she was awarded the Wallace Art Awards Paramount Award.

Venice Biennale

Yuki Kihara represented 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 was the first in 2003, 2010 and 2015

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 LGBTQ artists Samoan LGBTQ artists Fa'afafine 20th-century New Zealand artists 21st-century New Zealand artists 21st-century New Zealand women artists