08 May 2025
This year, we are proud to support two exceptional artists: Lindah Lepou, who will be based at Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, and Tui Hobson, who will undertake her residency at Pātaka Art+Museum.
Now in its fourth year with Pātaka Art + Museum in Wellington and partnering for the first time with Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth (Ngāmotu), the Pacific Aniva Artist Residency is a three-month opportunity for Pasifika artists and practitioners who identify as LGBTQIA+/MVPFAFF.
The residency supports creative and professional development for artists with support from established arts spaces. The opportunities align with the Pacific Arts Strategy 2023–2028, which prioritises ‘ensuring Pacific arts include our whole village. It also aligns with the strategy’s Tagata focus area, ensuring Pasifika artists and arts practitioners have the resources to grow their practice and create outstanding work, and the Va focus area, cultivating ‘a networked and innovative Pacific arts ecosystem exists for long-term outcomes.
Lindah Lepou is a New Zealand-born, bilingual fa'afafine artist whose creative journey is deeply rooted in her upbringing in Samoa. A bold and influential voice at the intersection of customary Pacific practices and contemporary art, Lindah’s multidisciplinary work spans fashion, installation, and performance.
Renowned for her innovative use of natural fibres and recycled materials, she reimagines traditional techniques to tell powerful stories of identity, resilience, and cultural connection. Through her practice, Lindah challenges conventions, weaving together the past and present to create works that are both grounded and transformative. Lindah’s creations have featured in national and international exhibitions, including at Te Papa and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Tui Hobson, an established artist from Tāmaki Makaurau, is the fourth recipient of the Aniva residency at Pātaka. Her project, Wairaka Pou, is a large-scale sculpture honouring wāhine toa. Inspired by the legendary ancestor Wairaka, who saved her people from a drifting waka.
Her carvings range from small, intimate works to large outdoor sculptures crafted from recycled native timber, hardwood, stone, metal, cast glass, and bronze. Tui has carved a career spanning over 30 years; drawing from her Cook Islands roots for inspiration. Tui has delivered major public works both in Aotearoa and overseas.
Kawika Aipa, Manager Pacific Arts Enterprise says the calibre of applicants this year was high and highlights the incredible number of talented Pasifika artists in Aotearoa.
“Growing and building strategic partnerships and collaborations is one of our priorities to deliver the Pacific Arts Strategy 2023 – 2028. We want to thank our partners Pātaka Art+Museum and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre who have been fantastic to work with and everyone involved.”
Follow the journey of the talented recipients by subscribing to Pātaka Art+Museum and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre for updates.
MVPFAFF+ is an acronym that brings together some of the words Pasifika communities use to describe queer identities. These terms reflect more than gender—they speak to cultural belonging, family, and identity. This list isn’t complete, and many of these terms don’t have direct English equivalents.
- Māhū (Tahiti and Hawaii)
- Vaka sa lewa lewa (Fiji)
- Palopa (Papua New Guinea)
- Fa’afafine (American Samoa, Samoa and Tokelau)
- Akava’ine (Cook Islands)
- Fakaleiti or Leiti (Tonga)
- Fakafifine (Niue)
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