The Fourth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Marakihau from Digital Marae (detail) 2001 Colour photograph mounted on aluminium 200 x 100cm Collection:The artist Let There be Light is the accompanying video that renders the figures in Digital Marae alive and continues Reihana's interest in communicating through the moving image and performance. Inspired by the work of the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, the soundtrack emanates strange violin and flute sounds which flow through sensual images of flight. The eeriness of the video and the images in Digital Marae are toxically theatrical. Powerful female figures engage the viewer through recognisable tropes such as those of computer video games, the seduction of advertising, the memory of childhood stories and the re-creation of fantasy in films such as The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. Reihana's film and video works like Tauira 1991 and Hypergirls 1996 are perfect expressions of the synergy this artist draws out between the objects she creates and their performative elements. Reihana also has an important collaborative history with the 'Pacific Sisters'. This group of Aotearoa New Zealand– based artists and poets was one of the first to amalgamate body adornment, dance, customary rituals and eclectic Pacific– flavoured fashion. With multiple avenues from which to communicate, Reihana knows no limits. 90 APT2002 Hinepukohurangi from Digital Marae (detail) 2001 Colour photograph mounted on aluminium 200 x 100cm Collection :The artist The quest for new models of interpretation and artforms for, and from, the Pacific regi on is visible in the performative qualities of many of these artists' choices of expression. Performance is one of the primary sites of subversiveness for Pacific artists. It is also one of the principal platforms from which a distinct Pacific aesthetic emerges, where themes that concern the region can be re-energised without appearing dated and over-examined. Another example familiar to Asia– Pacific Triennial audiences is Michel Tuffery's exploration of the contemporary-traditional dichotomy through his Povi tau vaga (The challenge) 1999 (Queensland Art Gallery Collection), in which two 'bulls' made from corned beef tins ferociously do battle. Historically, performance has been an important component of Pacific articulation both in the Islands and in Aotearoa New Zealand. 6 Scholars such as Caroline Sinavaiana and Vilsoni Hereniko attest to its role as a significant platform for the expression of complex and oppositional political and social opinions. 7 In particular, the use of parody in performance has been used to discuss and communicate taboo subjects such as ubiquitous hierarchical structures, domestic violence and sexuality. 8