Fighting Climate Change with a Cosmos Full of Gigantic Fish—The Works of Fijian Artist Rusiate LaliJune 9th, 2020|Country: Fiji|A reverence for the art of his ancestors and a deep love for the South Pacific Ocean make this Melanesian artist’s paintings urgent, bold and full of otherworldly serenity
The Glitz and Gravity of Australian Indigenous Drag—‘Black Divaz’, dir. Adrian Russell Wills, 2018March 25th, 2020|Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Australia, Biripi People, Dunghutti People, Iwaidja People, Malak Malak People, Tiwi Islands, Torres Strait Islands|A dazzling, empathic film follows six drag queens competing in Australia's inaugural Miss First Nations contest, as they find empowerment and share vulnerabilities
Carved Bamboo Canes as Ritual Objects and a Form of Writing in Kanak Artist’s Revival of Melanesian HeritageJanuary 5th, 2020|Country: Kanak People, Melanesian People, New Caledonia|Bamboo canes with intricate designs had been made by the Indigenous New Caledonians for generations. Micheline Néporon is adapting the technique to link the heritage of her ancestors to the future
There Are No Bad Kids, Just Bad Approaches to Them—‘In My Blood It Runs’, dir. Maya Newell, 2019December 11th, 2019|Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Arrernte, Australia, Garrwa People|A stunning documentary about a gifted unruly child decries the imperialist methods of education and punitive discipline in place in Australia. Its subject matter, however, is ubiquitous
Film: Judas Collar, dir. Alison James, 2018November 10th, 2019|Country: Australia|Look at the consequences of human interference with the camel populations of Australia in this powerful women-made narrative short that is currently contending for the Oscars' shorts nomination
Art: Fafetu, The Traditional Crocheted Patterns of Polynesia by Lakiloko KeakeaNovember 3rd, 2019|Country: New Zealand, Tuvalu|Fierce, otherworldly pieces created by a 71-year old powerhouse of Pacific arts that raise many important questions on assessing art, gender and tradition in the post-colonial space
Art: John Pule, Hafata, 2016September 19th, 2019|Country: New Zealand, Niue|Leading Pacific Islander artist captures the ambiguity and the splendor of his tiny, magnificent homeland in transformative, deeply spiritual paintings
Film: Eating Up Easter, dir. Sergio Mata’u Rapu, 2018September 18th, 2019|Country: Chile, Rapa Nui, USA|Tiny nation in the middle of Pacific Ocean struggles with globalization and plastic pollution, in an illuminating documentary that is both a call to action and a fascinating piece of ethnography
Film: Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen, dir. Hepi Mita, 2018August 20th, 2019|Country: Māori, New Zealand, Polynesian People|A loving son's documentary about the legacy and life of his mother Merata Mita, who became a powerhouse of Maori filmmaking and an inspiration to indigenous creators across the world
Music: Narasirato, Inoni Ana Totoraha, 2015July 26th, 2019|Country: Solomon Islands|A perfect soundtrack for preventing climate change from a 17 piece panpipe orchestra who live and work near the rainforest: traditional yet modern Solomon Islands music that lights up rock festivals
Music: Huarere, Homson Tribute, 2004July 14th, 2019|Country: Vanuatu|Reggae from Vanuatu that’s both a testament to the genre’s power and a potent reimagining of it, drenched in Oceanian culture and realities. Archipelago dwellers sure know how to make intelligent beach music