Artspace presents Reclamation, the first Australian solo exhibition of new work from artist Taloi Havini. 

Havini’s work responds to the history and culture of her birthplace, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and navigates a history of environmental destruction and civil war

Reclamation looks at personal and political narratives around themes of place, protection and resilience at a time when communities across the globe find themselves at the tipping point of environmental and social change.

At this decisive moment in the region’s history, Havini considers the significance of place, ceremony, and how material culture can be defined and translated through contemporary practice and politics.

This exhibition also includes the Sydney premiere of the latest iteration from Havini’s Habitat series, an immersive multi-channel video exploring the significance of collective agency, matrilineal authority and the ramifications of resource extraction in the Pacific.

Artspace hosts a day of public programs on 19 January, including an artist talk and a panel with experts regarding Bougainville culture and politics. This panel includes Bougainville elder Sana Balai and photojournalist Ben Bohane.

PUBLIC PROGRAM

Sunday 19 January

1pm–5pm

This one-day event will expand on Taloi Havini's solo exhibition Reclamation and the surrounding cultural and political landscape in Bougainville at this decisive moment in the region’s history; in particular following the recent landmark referendum pro-independence in December 2019. Join us to explore Havini’s work and discuss Bougainville’s prospective future as the newest nation state.

ABOUT THE EVENT

1pm: Artist talk

Taloi Havini in conversation with Ruth McDougall, Curator, Pacific Art at the Queensland Art Gallery l Gallery of Modern Art.

1.45pm: Talk with Ben Bohane

Join Ben Bohane, Pacific Islands-based photojournalist, following his coverage of the Bougainville referendum in December 2019, looking at the context and politics of the region.

Ben Bohane is a photojournalist who has covered Bougainville throughout the conflict and the years since. This talk follows on from Bohane receiving the inaugural Walkley's Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism in 2019 to cover the Bougainville Referendum, and his Lowy Institute Research paper The Bougainville Referendum and Beyond.

2.30pm: Share a meal from Mumum Pacific Soul Food

3pm: Performance Lecture with Sana Balai 

Balai will weave a history of Bougainville, civil war and family stories through a slideshow of personal images. 

Sana Balai is a revered Bougainville elder, born second-in-line to the current woman chief of the Nakaripa clan of the Hakö peoples from Buka Island. Balai was one of the last of her people to undergo traditional initiation rites, and is a holder of cultural knowledge. Balai is also an independent curator and has worked for Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), a subsidiary of Conzinc Rio Tinto, monitoring the environmental impacts of the Panguna mine in Central Bougainville. The lecture will traverse this history and Balai's experiences.

4pm: In conversation with Ben Bohane, Sana Balai, Taloi Havini and Kuntamari Crofts, moderated by Ruth McDougall

Expanding on the themes of the Reclamation exhibition through personal histories, experiences and thoughts.