This page is to tautoko artists who inspire us and to share their works, go check them out 🙂
Article links
Astronesian Futurisms
Astronesian Futurisms with Nahbo and Kahu.
Taranaki Ah-Young Grace aka Nahbo is a queer non-binary musician of Samoan, Chinese and Māori descent. They explore the concept of Astronesia which represents “some kind of oceanic future dreaming. It is heavily influenced by Afrofuturism, which similarly explores futures and technology with African communities in diaspora.”
“Astronesia is a vehicle towards boundless dreaming, towards decolonisation, and a future that feels hopeful. Which sometimes feels like a really different place from the world we have today” read this article for more on the topic of futurism from an indigenous perspective.
Art as Protest
Art as Protest with Huriana.
Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho is a queer non-binary artist whose work explores what it means to be takatāpui and has a colorful and modern twist on traditional maori styles and patterns. Their work is very political and is gaining a lot of popularity being showcased in public spaces around Aotearoa.
They talk about what it means use art as a political vehicle. “I think that there’s a lot to be said for the process of political dreaming. And the best way that I know how to do that is to illustrate it and to have these really tangible representations of what the world could be like. It makes it easier for other people to then dream about what they want for their futures, for the communities and for their whanau.”
