New Zealand's representative for the 2017 Venice Biennale says she is carrying the stories of the tangata whenua from around the Pacific with her.
Lisa Reihana will show in Pursuit of Venus [infected], a panoramic video in which live dancers and actors perform scenes within an animated background based on 19th century French scenic wallpaper of an idealized Pacific paradise.
While the Biennale is usually a showcase for new work, a lower resolution version has a;ready been shown at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki.
She says the work has been a collaboration with more than 150 cast and crew who have brought their own stories, and who will now face the world.
"There are so many faces from here, from New Zealand, so it is nice when you know it is not just you on your own, there are so many faces of people that you know and love who are representing themselves and their own ancestors," Reihana says.
It's been a winning month for the Ngapuhi artist – she has just returned from the ImagineNative festival of indigenous film in Canada, where she won the prize for best experimental film for Tai Whetuki – House of Death.
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