Isaiah Okeroa. Juried Artist
Constellations
Data Wall at QUT Kelvin Grove
Artist Statement
Honohono is an exhibition that explores healingherenga (interconnectedness)ancestral ties and our kuleana (responsibilities) to the environment. Leading with an indigenous frameworkit explores boundaries and their malleability: the skin as a permeable surface between ourselves and the elements as extensions of ourselvesthe borders that prevent us from entering lands where our ancestors walked and heard birdsongsthe borders that keep our ancestral artifacts behind glass to be preserved yet inaccessible.
This gathering of artists and artworks is the culmination of a public diplomacy creative exchange with Kānaka Maoli/U.S. lead artist Tiare Ribeaux. This Leonardo Creative Impact Lab utilised community-driven processes and expanded media art projects to address the challenge of climate change. Local artists have explored climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand using indigenous methodologies interwoven with their personal creative practices. Ribeaux facilitated these interdisciplinary collaborations drawing on her own media art practice and Hawai’ian cultural heritage.
The creative prototypes in this exhibition weave and traverse these questions and themes through multiple mediums including videoprojectionsculptureland artaugmented realitysoundmapping and more in an attempt to Honohono.
About the artists
Creative Impact Lab Ōtepoti Dunedin (2023–24) is a collective of 10 artists ranging from science communication to theatre to multimedia art. The collective combines their broad skillset to explore Ōtepoti Dunedin’s environment and heritage.
Isaiah Okeroa is based on ŌtepotiIsaiah’s work centres on Moving image and Sound as mediums for exploring MāoritangaSpiritualityTakatāpuitangaWhanaungatangaTaonga Pūoro and Mahi Raranga. By blending Te Taiao frequencies into contemporary compositional formshis work aims to bridge cultural divides and becomes a conduit for storytellingreconnection and healing by provoking a reflective state that helps deepen our understanding of interconnectedness. By weaving together elements of his cultural identity with contemporary expressionIsaiah’s work delves into a journey of discovery and rediscoveryoffering a dialogue between pastpresentand future.
Fiona Clements (WaitahaKāti MāmoeKāi Tahu) was born in Ōtepotigrew up in & currently lives in WaitatiBlueskin Baywith her beautiful dog Princess Zela. She is proud to be a Takatāpui Māori owned businessco-creating and transforming lives through connection to Papatūānuku. Fiona is director of Ōtepoti/Dunedin’s Res.Awesomea company that supports businessescommunity groupsevents and individuals to become zero waste. Fiona is Chief Chocolatier for Ka Kā Wā premium cacao and dark chocolate treats.
Aislinn Mirsch is a German American science communicatornow based in Ōtepoti Dunedin. They favour artistic connection through the creation of audio stories and immersive soundscapes. Recent creative works include co-creating short films exploring the South Island kākāaxolotl pet trendsand replicas of Moriori miheke hopo (albatross bone flutes).
Credits: Isaiah Okeroa; Fiona Clements; Aislinn Mirsch