Photographing the Pacific Sisters: Vivienne Haldane

Te Whakaahua i ngā Pacific Sisters

22 Hui-tanguru – 17 Haratua 2025
22 February  – 17 May 2025

He mea hopu e Vivienne Haldane, mā ngā whakaahua o ngā tekau tau, te haerenga taupiri, hikareia nei o ngā Pacific Sisters. He mahi toi auaha, he kohinga pūeru nā ngā ringatoi Māori, Pasifika anō hoki.

Nā te arotahi a Haldane i taki mai i ngā mahi toi me ngā whakapuakanga ahurea o ngā Pacific Sisters, mai i ngā tau tahimano iwa rau iwa tekau ki ēnei rā nei, ka āta aro atu ki te mahi tahi āna ki a Nephi Tupaea rātau ko Suzanne Tamaki, ko Rosanna Raymond. He whakawhitinga te whakaaturanga nei o ngā taima motuhake e toru, he whakaahua pango me te mā o ngā Pacific Sisters, i hopukina ki Tāmaki Makaurau, he whakaahua muramura nō tā rātau whai wāhi ki te kaupapa 1994 World of Wearable Arts (WOW) ki Whakatū.

Otirā ka kitea i tēnei whakaaturanga he kohinga hou, e hāngai ana ki te rohe nei. E whakahira ana i te hononga mauroa o te kapa, kua āpitihia e Haldane he kohinga nō te tau rua mano rua tekau mā rua i hopukina ki te roto o Pekapeka, ko Nephi Tupaea te aronga, he ringatoi nō Heretaunga, ā, he mema mauroa o ngā Pacific Sisters.

Ko tā Haldane he tūhura ā-whakaahua i ngā Pacific Sisters. He whakaatu i te manawaroa, te wetetāmi, me te mana taketake, otirā te whakaatu i te manawa piharau o tētahi kapa auaha. Ki a Haldane, ehara ēnei whakaahua i te mauhanga noa; he mata ki te tūhuratanga o ngā hītori me ngā taima whakaihiihi wairua, hei whakaū, hei whakahōnore i te hāngai o aua āhuatanga ki te taiao nei.

In photographs spanning decades, Vivienne Haldane has captured the intimate and dynamic journey of the Pacific Sisters, a groundbreaking art and fashion collective of Pasifika and Māori creatives.

Haldane’s lens has chronicled the Pacific Sisters’ vibrant artistry and cultural expression from the 1990s to the present day, with a particular focus on her close work with Nephi Tupaea, Suzanne Tamaki, and Rosanna Raymond. The exhibition bridges three distinct moments and includes striking black-and-white photographs of the Pacific Sisters shot around Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and vivid colour images from their participation in the 1994 World of Wearable Art (WOW) event in Whakatū Nelson.

The exhibition also features a more recent series with local resonance. Highlighting an enduring connection with the Sisters, Haldane has included works from a 2022 series, shot in the Pekapeka Wetlands, featuring the Heretaunga-based artist and longtime member of the Pacific Sisters Nephi Tupaea.

Haldane’s photographic exploration of the Pacific Sisters highlights their ongoing path of resilience, decolonisation, and Indigenous empowerment, while also underscoring the timeless power of collective creativity. For Haldane, these photographs are more than mere documentation; they represent a shared exploration of profound truths and awe-inspiring moments, affirming and honouring their legacy in today’s context.