Shigeyuki Kihara
Encyclopedia
Shigeyuki Kihara is a contemporary artist and the first New Zealander to hold a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, New York. 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 provocative poses that portrayed colonial images of Polynesian
women as sexual objects. Kihara is also a fa'afafine
, the 3rd gender of Samoa. Born in Samoa
, Kihara's mother is Samoan and her father Japanese. Kihara immigrated to New Zealand
at the age of sixteen to further her studies. She trained in fashion design 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).
, The University of Auckland, 2006.
, New Zealand; The University of Auckland Art Collection, New Zealand; Massey University, 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, U.K. and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
.
In 2008, Kihara's curatorial project Hand in Hand, co-curated by Jenny Fraser was held in Australia. The exhibition presented various art forms and mediums to challenge dominant ideas about gender and sexuality in an intercultural exhibition of 17 Indigenous artists from the Pacific and Australia. The exhibition was staged at Performance Space and Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in Sydney and toured to the University of Tasmania Plimsoll Gallery.
, New Plymouth, New Zealand.
of art works by non-indigenous artists in the Pacific in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For Fa'afafine: In the Manner of a Woman (2005) exhibited at Sherman Galleries in Sydney, Kihara used her own body to reconstruct the colonial gaze preserved as ‘ethnographic' imagery. She undermines the scheme of Western classifications including gender by portraying both a male and female subject. These works speak of Kihara's own identity and status as a Samoan and as a fa‛a fafine. Fa‛a fafine, understood as the ‘third gender' in Western interpretation, are an accepted part of the Samoan social fabric. By taking ownership of the image, Kihara challenges orientalist clichés composed in colonial photographs of Samoans.
Emerging Pacific Artist Award in 2003. In 2007, she was also the first artist-in-residence at The Physics Rooms Art Residency in Christchurch
.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York. 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 provocative poses that portrayed colonial images of Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
women as sexual objects. Kihara is also a fa'afafine
Fa'afafine
Fa'afafine may be viewed as a third gender specific to Samoan culture.Fa'afafine are biological males who have a strong feminine gender orientation, which the Samoan parents recognize quite early in childhood. Not always are they raised as female children or rather 'third gender' children...
, the 3rd gender of Samoa. Born in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, Kihara's mother is Samoan and her father Japanese. Kihara immigrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
at the age of sixteen to further her studies. She trained in fashion design 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
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
(Te Papa).
Exhibitions
Kihara has exhibited her work extensively in New Zealand and internationally with solo exhibitions including: Fa'a fafine: In a manner of a woman, Sherman Galleries, Sydney, 2005; and Vavau: Tales of Ancient Samoa, The Gus Fisher GalleryGus Fisher Gallery
The Gus Fisher Gallery is part of The University of Auckland’s National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries , and is located in The Kenneth Myers Centre, an historic building restored in 2000 with the help of the gallery's patron, Gus Fisher .It is operated by the Centre for New Zealand Art...
, The University of Auckland, 2006.
Collections
Kihara's work can be found in the public collections of ; Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand; Auckland Art GalleryAuckland Art Gallery
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand and has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand...
, New Zealand; The University of Auckland Art Collection, New Zealand; Massey University, New Zealand; Waikato Museum
Waikato Museum
The Waikato Museum is situated in the city of Hamilton, in the Waikato region of New Zealand.Previously called the Waikato Museum of Art and History, the full name has been shortened in recent years due to the incorporation Exscite, an interactive science centre, and the emphasis on Tangata Whenua...
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, U.K. and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Curator
In 2007, Kihara curated a group exhibition about Samoan Fa'afafine titled Measina Fa'afafine: treasures from a liminal space at Artstation gallery in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
In 2008, Kihara's curatorial project Hand in Hand, co-curated by Jenny Fraser was held in Australia. The exhibition presented various art forms and mediums to challenge dominant ideas about gender and sexuality in an intercultural exhibition of 17 Indigenous artists from the Pacific and Australia. The exhibition was staged at Performance Space and Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in Sydney and toured to the University of Tasmania Plimsoll Gallery.
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 GalleryGovett-Brewster Art Gallery
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is a contemporary art museum at New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. The gallery receives core funding from the New Plymouth District Council....
, New Plymouth, New Zealand.
Controversy
In 2001, Kihara's T-shirt series Teuanoa‛i - Adorn to Excess which parodied well-known corporate logos were exhibited at Te Papa and later added to the national museum's collection. The T-shirts featured Kihara's quirky take on well known brands, turning logos such as The Warehouse to The Whorehouse and KFC to KKK. The exhibition created controversy in the media and raised legal questions about copyright versus artistic expression. Following legal advice, Te Papa removed three of the 28 T-shirts from its exhibition, but purchased the entire series.Pacific & Gender Identity
Combining her affinity for fashion design with performance and imagery, Kihara stages provocative scenes that question the authenticityAuthenticity in art
Authenticity in art has a variety of meanings related to different ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic.Denis Dutton distinguishes between nominal authenticity and expressive authenticity....
of art works by non-indigenous artists in the Pacific in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For Fa'afafine: In the Manner of a Woman (2005) exhibited at Sherman Galleries in Sydney, Kihara used her own body to reconstruct the colonial gaze preserved as ‘ethnographic' imagery. She undermines the scheme of Western classifications including gender by portraying both a male and female subject. These works speak of Kihara's own identity and status as a Samoan and as a fa‛a fafine. Fa‛a fafine, understood as the ‘third gender' in Western interpretation, are an accepted part of the Samoan social fabric. By taking ownership of the image, Kihara challenges orientalist clichés composed in colonial photographs of Samoans.
Awards
Shigeyuki Kihara was the recipient of the Creative New ZealandCreative New Zealand
The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets and audiences for New Zealand arts domestically and internationally...
Emerging Pacific Artist Award in 2003. In 2007, she was also the first artist-in-residence at The Physics Rooms Art Residency in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.