Artist Performance and Talk with Adriana Māhanga Lear

Join us at Wollongong Art Gallery for a live performance and talk by artist Adriana Māhanga Lear.

The work of Adriana Māhanga Lear gravitates around the fangufangu (bamboo nose-flute). The artist will perform music on the fangufangu and offer insight into its history and significance, expanding on the content of the exhibition.

Specifically, Lear draws upon fakatakatōfā, the practice of waking chiefs and royalty from sleep with the fangufangu (bamboo nose-flute) – an artform that is imperative to the exhibition’s underlying philosophy. Lear engages this practice as a heliaki (metaphor) for the awakening of ancient knowledges and practices by walking backwards into the future.

Image: Adriana Māhanga Lear, Fākafoa—The body breaks in waves, 2024, 9-channel HD video with recorded music performance and printed music score (still). Courtesy of the artist.