SHANNON TE AO

This three channel video installation will be part of the Gwangju Biennale Pavilion, taking place alongside the Biennale’s curated exhibition, Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century, by artistic director Nicolas Bourriard.

Te Ao’s moving image work features the tīwakawaka (fantail) as the protagonist. This small bird endemic to Aotearoa, is linked to Māori narratives associated with the concepts of birth and death; many stories tie it to the atua (gods), particularly to Māui.

The video captures two young men in motion. Alongside the synchronized thirty-six still images contained within this installation, a pao (song) composed and performed by Kurt Komene supplies the soundtrack. Komene’s lyrics, like the flowing actions of the performers, follow the tīwakawaka’s flight path.

Originally commissioned by the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art, this new iteration of Ia rā, ia rā (rere runga, rere raro) - Everyday (I fly high, I fly low), curated by Karl Chitham, allows the audience to immerse themselves within the imagery and soundscape.

Te Tuhi, The Dowse and OCAA would like to acknowledge Jenny and Andrew Smith, Jo and John Gow, Ambassador Dawn Bennet and the New Zealand Embassy team in Seoul, and the Gwangju Biennale Foundation for their generous support for this project.

Shannon Te Ao’s recent film and photographic works conflate markers of place, movement and experience. Often elegiac in tone, imagery within his work reflects upon personal narratives, historical events and collaboration as means to explore Māori thought and experience. Te Ao has exhibited widely nationally and internationally with his seminal work two shoots that stretch far out (2013–4) shown in the Biennale of Sydney in 2014, later earning him Aotearoa New Zealand’s most coveted award, the Walters Prize, in 2016. He has completed commissions for the 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) and 13th Gwangju Biennale. Te Ao recently presented solo exhibitions at REMAI Modern (Saskatoon); Oakville Galleries (Toronto), and Te Uru (Tamaki Makaurau Auckland), and curated the exhibition Matarau at City Gallery Wellington. Te Ao is a member of the rōpū (board) of Coastal Signs (Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland).