Shigeyuki Kihara

SHIGEYUKI KIHARA

Shigeyuki Kihara is a contemporary artist from New Zealand. Kihara was the first contemporary artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Kihara is also a fa'afafine, which is known as the 3rd gender of Samoa. Shigeyuki Kihara was born in Samoa, Kihara's mother is Samoan and her father Japanese. The artists migrated to New Zealand at the age of 16 to further her studies. 

She trained in Fashion design at Wellington Polytech (now known as Massey University). In 1995 Kihara's graffiti Dress Bombacific was purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Succesful artists in her craft.   

The performance piece by Shigeyuki Kihara "The Last Tauluga" draws on the samoan siva of colonialism in Samoa we see from an Indigenous. In the video we see Shigeyuki Kihara perform in a restricted Victorian mourning dress that moves gracefully to a chant sung by village elders, that unleashes the aitu (spirit). Kihara created this piece in response to the photographs taken from Alfred John Tattersall, Thomas Andrew, and the Burton Brothers. 

The dress represented colonialism because it is so restricted and tight. It made it harder to move freely it also represented the Samoan culture through the process of colonisation and loss of culture.

  This piece was a tribute to the many leaders and people of Samoan and their struggle to gain independence. 

I really enjoy this piece of work due to the representation through the work the meaning and story behind what each piece represents. What I really like about the Tauluga is that it carries history and It's something that we have in our culture that has been going for years. I really want to study the dance and the actions and try and portray Samoan woman in a graceful but strong manner through my photographs.