Performance: Kalisolaite ‘Uhila presents Kelekele Mo’ui / Living Soil

Artist Kalisolaite ‘Uhila brings two special works to Britomart for the Aotearoa Art Fair: a day-long performance piece that will take place amid a backdrop of his riveting canvases.

On Friday 2 May, ‘Uhila will stage a day-long performance, Kelekele Mo’ui (Living Soil). First performed at Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery in August last year, the work involves ‘Uhila sitting still while buried up to his neck in a pile of soil, a reference to the ways people live off labour and the land, the richness of soil as a source of sustenance, and the practice of maumau-taimi, or ‘wasting time’. ‘Uhila will take his place in the soil pile around noon and be pulled from it at 6pm.

Members of the public will be able to view the work at any time during this period and are particularly encouraged to attend at 6pm for ‘Uhila’s removal from the soil. Please note that parts of the performance will be filmed.

‘Uhila’s canvas works, Kini Lotokolo (Cleaning the City), will provide a backdrop to the performance on Britomart’s Pavilion Panels on Te Ara Tāhuhu and Galway Street. In the works, ‘Uhila has spattered canvases with ink and acrylic, as well as scarring them with rakes, machetes and other tools. The works appear to reference the famous American spatter-painter Jackson Pollock, but they also evoke manual labour and the actions of working the land. For this exhibition, the canvases have been photographed and reframed to fit the Pavilion Panels. The works will be on display throughout the Aotearoa Art Fair.

Kalisolaite ‘Uhila was born in Tonga in 1981 and now lives in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. He has exhibited in California, Hawai’i, Japan and Berlin, among other places, and been a finalist in the Walters Prize. The performance and canvas works are presented courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett Gallery.

@britomart