Whakaaturaka
Exhibitions
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Events
E Whakaaturia ana Ināianei
On display
Welcome Morning Tea and Tour for New Migrants
Special Event
Past event
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Free
A morning tea and exhibition tour for those newly arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Please join us in the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū foyer for for morning tea and a tour of John Vea’s exhibition Ini Mini Mani Mou.
This exhibition by Ōtautahi Christchurch-based artist John Vea (Tonga, Aotearoa New Zealand) explores the complexities of life in Aotearoa for Pacific migrants. With his characteristic sense of humour, Vea has created a series of impossible or futile games. Together they point to the challenges and barriers of the often-bureaucratic immigration processes that they must navigate in order to come to Aotearoa to live or work. Vea highlights the tension between the perceived value and opportunities provided by residency in Aotearoa, and the realities of labour, acclimatisation and leaving home.
Numbers are limited, please RSVP to chloe.cull@ccc.govt.nz
Related
Exhibition
John Vea: Ini Mini Mani Mou
8 March – 13 July 2025
Powerful new work examining the complexities of the immigration process in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Commentary
Clocking Off
For most people, migration is a semi-abstract concept. It’s the fall guy for social issues, the topic of choice for political pundits. For me, it was something I romanticised. Although both of my parents were born in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland I always thought of myself as the child of migrants, as all four of my grandparents were born outside of Aotearoa New Zealand and immigrated here for various reasons at various times. However, it wasn’t until I became a migrant worker myself, after accepting a job in the United States and navigating immigration firsthand, that I realised how difficult moving countries was.