Christopher Ulutupu's New Show, Multiples, Opens At The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi O Whakatū

The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū presents Multiples, a major exhibition by Aotearoa artist Christopher Ulutupu, bringing together a constellation of photographic and moving-image works across the gallery.

Working across video and photography, Ulutupu explores identity as something layered, relational, and continually evolving. Drawing on family narratives, popular culture, and imagined scenarios, his works blur the boundaries between the personal and the cinematic, creating images that are both intimate and theatrical.

Central to the exhibition is the idea that identity is not singular or fixed, but shaped through encounters between people, cultures, and places. This thinking resonates with the work of writer and philosopher Édouard Glissant, who described identity as something formed through ongoing cultural exchange.

In Ulutupu’s works, these exchanges unfold through carefully staged scenes and performances. In Lelia (2018), for example, members of the artist’s family appear in high-fashion clothing on a snow-covered ski slope. The work merges family storytelling with elements of fiction and popular culture, placing identity within a space where heritage, imagination, and belonging intersect.

Another idea that echoes through the exhibition comes from Pacific scholar Epeli Hauofa, who described Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) as a ‘sea of islands’ – a region defined not by separation but by the relationships that connect people and places across the ocean. Ulutupu’s works operate in a similar way. Each piece stands independently while remaining connected to the others, forming a shifting network of relationships across the gallery.

The exhibition includes video works such as Leave Room for Jesus (2023), What’s the Worst You Could Do? (2021), and the episodic series New Kid in Town (2021), alongside photographic works created in collaboration with photographer Kasmira Krefft.

Together, the works in Multiples invite audiences to reflect on identity as something ever-shifting and relational—formed through family, culture, imagination, and connection.

Multiples is now open at The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū and runs until 19 July 2026.

About The Suter

The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū is a public art gallery in Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand. Established in 1899, it is one of the country’s oldest galleries and holds a nationally significant collection of New Zealand art. The gallery presents exhibitions, education programmes and public events, welcoming around 100,000 visitors each year.

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