This presentation will introduce us to Koji Miyazaki (Japanese jeweller), Sudi Dargipour (Iranian flooring textile designer) and Tamar Guse (Israeli fibre artist), three emerging ethnic artists who draw on their ancestry and heritage to create works of art. The talk shares their personal and professional journeys, and examines how their heritage has enabled them to develop their own sense of identity and style.
Shani Pillai and Joji Jacob have been travelling, meeting, interviewing and recording the artists. We will see how New Zealand culture evolves as various ethnic groups bring with them their various traditions, cuisine, arts and crafts, languages and ancestral heritage.
While some were already artists before they arrived in NZ, others turn to art to express who they are in a positive and creative way and, through that, develop an understanding of who they now are and their place in the new world.
Shani and Joji’s roots are in India, they are Kiwis, proud Wellingtonians, and Friends of Te Papa. Shani is from Malaysia and of South Indian heritage, while Joji’s origins are in Kerala. They are passionate about their cultural heritage, and the traditions and arts passed down through the generations. They are exploring how others with different ethnic backgrounds who have made NZ their home are merging their heritage and ancestry into the fabric of NZ culture, travelling to meet artists and capture their journey’s and foray’s into the NZ art scene.
Feature: Image provided and reproduced courtesy of J.Jacob and S.Pillai.