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Christopher Ulutupu

CHRISTOPHER ULUTUPU

What's the worst you could do? Jhana Millers 23 June–16 July 2022 Wellington
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Press Release

Christopher Ulutupu uses the conventions of cinematic storytelling to interrogate the relationship between landscape and indigenous identities. He employs a cast of actors consisting almost entirely of friends and family in his work. These actors sing, dance, and perform, often hamming it up for the camera. In What’s the worst you could do? Christopher uses similar tactics to unearth the potential of discordant storytelling. A series of acts consisting of two adjoining scenes play out side by side, each vignette often at odds with the action next to it.

Originally based on a script written by the artist, the resulting work eliminates some of the traditional tools of filmmaking. Without dialogue or a conventional beginning or end, what’s left are the less tangible aspects of film — lighting, framing, and score. In this world, mood and atmosphere are heightened. Feeling and intent take on more weight than logic and reason. What’s the worst you could do? embraces the complexity of incoherence and acknowledges the fallibility of storytelling. What’s revealing is how we make sense of these gaps and what those assumptions say about us.

Christopher Ulutupu (b.1987) is an artist of Samoan, Niuean and German descent currently based in Pōneke, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington.

What’s the worst you could do? was originally commissioned by Te Tuhi for the exhibition The Inner Lives of Islands in 2021, curated by Robbie Handcock.

Cinematography: Haz ForresterSound Design: Kane Laing

Special thanks to:The Adam Art Gallery for the loan of the equipment

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About the Artist

Christopher Ulutupu is a contemporary artist of Samoan, Niuean and German descent. Born in 1987, he lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington.

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Also Exhibiting at Jhana Millers

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Group Exhibition
GROUP EXHIBITION Made Jhana Millers 21 May–13 June 2026 Wellington
About the Gallery

Jhana Millers Art Gallery was established in 2018 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington to showcase compelling and innovative contemporary art and promote emerging local talents. Housed in the listed Mibar Building, fitted with large windows and a concrete ceiling, the gallery provides space for solo and curated group exhibitions.

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Address
Level 1, Mibar Building
85 Victoria Street
Wellington
New Zealand
Opening Hours
Wednesday–Friday: 11am–5pm
Saturday: 11am–4pm
or by appointment
(1)
Wellington Level 1, Mibar Building, 85 Victoria Street
Jhana Millers contemporary art gallery in Wellington New Zealand
Jhana Millers
Level 1, Mibar Building, 85 Victoria Street, Wellington, New Zealand
0211670896
http://www.jhanamillers.com

Opening hours
Wednesday–Friday: 11am–5pm
Saturday: 11am–4pm
or by appointment
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