Four artists­ from south-east Taiwan present new works that draw on their personal experiences to invigorate their indigenous material cultures, narratives, and knowledge.

This exhibition by four artists from south-east Taiwan was conceived in 2022 as part of a process to enact connections and encourage future exchanges between Taiwan and Aotearoa - a space of shared migration and enduring whakapapa ties.

Insights into the contemporary life and concerns of the artists—Lafin Sawmah, Eleng Luluan, Akac Orat and Malay Makakazuwan— are offered through new works created for the Govett-Brewster after reflecting on time spent together during a two-week residency in Aotearoa.

Each artist draws on their personal experience and distinct tribal backgrounds to invigorate their indigenous material cultures, narratives, and knowledge. The resulting works are grounded in the shared beliefs of collective responsibility, community spirit, an inseparable connection to land and sea, and the unbreakable bond between past, present and future— all ideas from the edge of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa which have a resonance here in Aotearoa. The possibilities of this space, these relations, are conceived as being without a centre, and without limits.

Curators: Dr Zara Stanhope, Taarati Taiaroa