Treasures of the Pacific Unleash Bold New Vision

Treasures of the Pacific Unleash Bold New Vision for Auckland

Black Grace presents
THE GUERRILLA COLLECTION
Curated by Neil Ieremia

Black Grace NZ icon and Arts Laureate Neil Ieremia is joining forces with some of the boldest voices of the Pacific to consider what comes next for Auckland City. Leading artists Anapela Polataivao, Victor Rodger, Courtney Sina-Meredith, Bella Kalolo, Justin Haiu, Paul Fagamalo and newcomer Leki Jackson-Bourke will unleash THE GUERRILLA COLLECTIONon Auckland at the ASB Waterfront Theatre over three days from November 2. This FREE festival of 30-minute movement pieces explores the future of the largest Polynesian city in the world, refracted through a uniquely Pacific lens.

What will Auckland look like in 30 years? What will it sound like, what will it feel like, what will it taste and smell like?

Black Grace founder Neil Ieremia says, “The politicians have been getting it wrong for decades; the business community is concerned with one thing; the academics are drowning in their think tanks. So, when it comes to the future of the biggest Pacific city in the world and home to many of the best and brightest Pacific artists – why haven’t they asked us?”

THE GUERRILLA COLLECTION unites Pacific artists from across multiple disciplines in creating fresh and engaging Pacific art. In collaboration with Black Grace dance artists, movement forms the backbone of the festival and is the common thread that runs through each of the pieces of work.

In a festival environment with food trucks, interactive workshops and exhibitions, THE GUERRILLA COLLECTION will create a space for the meeting of ideas, people and experiences. Performed concurrently across the multiple spaces that ASB Waterfront Theatre has to offer, this festival will provide unparalleled levels of access for Pacific audiences. All the events are free for all, removing the financial barrier that often comes with high-quality art.

The works themselves will cross genre and form, provoking vital conversations about the possibility of Auckland’s future. What will home look like in 30 years? How will the space have expanded, shifted and changed for brown women? What will traditional Pacific dance look like? And will Pacific Islanders have reclaimed Ponsonby?

Neil Ieremia says, “these are our stories, our ideas, our views, our fears, our past, our fight, our hopes, our tears, our challenges, our dreams, our voices, our songs, our hands, our backs, our homes, our wrongs, our ghosts, our children, our futures, our gods, our people, our obedience, our rebellions, our scars. Ours to remember, ours to tell.”

THE GUERRILLA COLLECTION: Ours. By Us. For All.

THE GUERRILLA COLLECTION plays:
November 2-4
ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland

Free entry to all events with no booking required
Full schedule to be announced early October

To support this endeavor, The Guerrilla Collection Gala Evening will include live performances highlighting a selection of the festival’s programme, a welcome from esteemed dignitaries and an opportunity to hear from the team behind the project:
Gala Evening
1 November, 7:30pm
ASB Waterfront Theatre, Wynyard Quarter
Tickets now on sale:
0800 ATC TIX (282 849) or online at asbwaterfronttheatre.co.nz
By buying a ticket you’re helping Black Grace to grow Auckland's Pacific audiences and engage with many individuals that have never stepped foot inside a theatre.

© Scoop Media