Kalisolaite Uhila

Last day to view this Sunday .•´¯`• Join Kalisolaite ‘Uhila (@kalisolaite ) for a walkthrouogh of 𝙆𝙤𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙪𝙩𝙪 𝙥𝙚 𝙠𝙤𝙞𝙖 at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery (@te_uru_gallery ) in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland From 1pm on Sunday, skateboarder Daniel Jochems will activate ‘Uhila’s sculptural skateboard ramps, which have been tagged by audience members for the duration of the exhibition. Jochems will temporarily transform the exhibition space into a skate park, bringing to life the spirit of freedom, joy and non-conformity that is central to ‘Uhila installation. On view through 17 MAY at Te Uru ★ ‘Uhila is represented by @lettthomasgallery

🛹 Skate Party @te_uru_gallery Sun 17 May, 1–3pm⁠ ⁠ Join Te Uru for a very special closing event of Kalisolaite ‘Uhila’s show ‘Koe tenga tete to tete utu pe koia’ on May 17th from 1pm.⁠ ⁠ Skateboarder Daniel Jochems will activate ‘Uhila’s sculptural skateboard ramps, which have been tagged by audience members through the duration of the exhibition.⁠ ⁠ Jochems will temporarily transform the exhibition space into a skate park, bringing to life the spirit of freedom, joy and non-conformity that is central to ‘Uhila installation.⁠ ⁠ Meanwhile, performing live, Brazilian DJ Anabe will create a soundtrack to turn this closing event into a proper celebration.⁠ ⁠ Come by to watch some awesome skateboarding tricks, listen to cool music and share an orange with Kalisolaite ‘Uhila and the Te Uru team – there will be Kōkako coffee and pastries across the afternoon!⁠ ⁠ @kalisolaite ⁠ 📷 Image credit @samuel_hartnett )

Last Week to View Kalisolaite ‘Uhila 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢 SHOW ENDS - 17 MAY 2026 Last year, almost 30 years after he was sent to Mildura to live with extended family and work in an orange orchard, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila (b.1981, Kingdom of Tonga) returned to the Australian city for an art residency. When he first arrived, in 1997, Mildura marked a decisive shift in his life. Instead of fruit picking and experiencing the hardship of manual labour, his aunt and uncle, who were ministers at the Methodist Church, re-enrolled him in school. Within this school ‘Uhila and his cousins were, in his own words, the only brown kids. It was here that he had to carve out a new identity between adolescence and adulthood, between different – at times clashing – cultures and personal dreams and ambitions. With Koe tenga tete to tete utu pe koia (the seed you
sow, you will reap), ‘Uhila revisits a formative period in his life, after returning to the city not as a seasonal worker but as an artist with an established international practice. He reconsiders how acts of labour, masculinity, and care continue to shape his performances and overall artistic practice over nearly three decades. SKATE PARTY SUN 17 MAY, 1PM Image credit | Photography by Samuel Hartnett (@samuel_hartnett )

Kalisolaite ‘Uhila: A Reading⁠ Free @te_uru_gallery Saturday 9 May, 1pm⁠ ⁠ You are warmly invited to join Te Uru for a reading by the artist within the exhibition ‘Koe tenga tete to tete utu pe koia’.⁠ ⁠ For this event, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila will read the hymn “Oku tau teu 'a e ngoue” (we are preparing the garden/field), within the exhibition setting. It is one of the most well-known and widely sung Christian hymns in Tonga, which relates to the broader themes in the exhibition, of community and resilience, and that we reap the seeds we sow.⁠ ⁠ @kalisolaite ⁠ 📷 Courtesy Te Uru.⁠ ⁠ #kalisolaiteuhila #teuru

Kalisolaite ‘Uhila 𝘈 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 SAT 9 MAY, 1PM You are warmly invited to join us for a reading by the artist within the exhibition 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢. For this event, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila will read the hymn “Oku tau teu 'a e ngoue” (we are preparing the garden/field), within the exhibition setting. It is one of the most well-known and widely sung Christian hymns in Tonga, which relates to the broader themes in the exhibition, of community and resilience, and that we reap the seeds we sow. The hymn speaks about the commitment to a path, to sacrifice, and to persevering through hardship. The imagery of ngoue (garden) is significant in Tongan culture: traditionally, tending gardens/fields is central to subsistence farming, community cooperation, and social obligation. In the hymn, this agricultural imagery is a metaphor for Christian service, spiritual labour and spiritual harvest, as well as community. In Kalisolaite ‘Uhila’s exhibition, the hymn becomes a resonant bridge between past and present – between the orchard and the gallery space, between physical labour and artistic practice. Recited within the space, the hymn gathers the exhibition’s threads of memory, migration, kinship, growth and endurance into a shared moment of listening. As his voice fills the room, the garden is no longer only a field to be tended, but a space of collective reflection. A space where what has been sown through years of work, sacrifice, and resilience continues to bear fruit.

𝘚𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 Kalisolaite ‘Uhila : 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢 SUN 17 MAY 1PM Join us for a very special closing event of Kalisolaite ‘Uhila’s show 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢 on Sun May 17th from 1pm. Skateboarder Daniel Jochems will activate ‘Uhila’s sculptural skateboard ramps, which have been tagged by audience members for the duration of the exhibition. Jochems will temporarily transform the exhibition space into a skate park, bringing to life the spirit of freedom, joy and non-conformity that is central to ‘Uhila installation. Meanwhile, performing live, Brazilian DJ Anabe will create a soundtrack to turn this closing event into a proper celebration. Come by to watch some awesome skateboarding tricks, listen to cool music and share an orange with Kalisolaite ‘Uhila and the Te Uru team – there will be Kōkako coffee and pastries across the afternoon!

Te Uru will be open across Anzac weekend, closed only for Anzac morning. ANZAC DAY SAT 25 - 1PM-4.30PM SUN - 10AM - 4.30PM MON - 10AM - 4.30PM Come and see the current exhibitions on offer.

Enjoy the long weekend, paired with some art.

 Ammon Ngakuru
 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 (𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨)

 Kalisolaite ‘Uhila
 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢 Kahurangiariki Smith
 𝘒𝘢𝘪 𝘢 𝘵𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘸𝘩𝘢



 Avtar Singh
 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸

 Image credit | Photography by Samuel Hartnett (@samuel_hartnett )

Currently on View Kalisolaite ‘Uhila 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢 8 MAR - 17 MAY 2026 Last year, almost 30 years after he was sent to Mildura to live with extended family and work in an orange orchard, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila (b.1981, Kingdom of Tonga) returned to the Australian city for an art residency. When he first arrived, in 1997, Mildura marked a decisive shift in his life. Instead of fruit picking and experiencing the hardship of manual labour, his aunt and uncle, who were ministers at the Methodist Church, re-enrolled him in school. Within this school ‘Uhila and his cousins were, in his own words, the only brown kids. It was here that he had to carve out a new identity between adolescence and adulthood, between different – at times clashing – cultures and personal dreams and ambitions. With Koe tenga tete to tete utu pe koia (the seed you
sow, you will reap), ‘Uhila revisits a formative period in his life, after returning to the city not as a seasonal worker but as an artist with an established international practice. He reconsiders how acts of labour, masculinity, and care continue to shape his performances and overall artistic practice over nearly three decades. PUBLIC PROGRAM
𝘈 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
SAT 9 MAY, 1PM SKATE PARTY SAT 17 MAY, 1-3PM Image credit | Photography by Samuel Hartnett (@samuel_hartnett )

Visiting some 🔥 shows at @te_uru_gallery 1-4 Ammon Ngakuru 5-8 Kalisolaite ‘Uhila curated by Anja Lückenkemper 9-12 Avtar Singh curated by Hōhua Thompson 13-17 Kahurangiariki Smith curated by Hōhua Thompson 🧡🧡🧡

Auckland is a city that rewards those who know where to look – beyond the obvious and into the neighbourhoods, galleries, and quiet corners that give it its real character. Dan Ahwa, curator of Horizons at the 2026 Fair, is an Auckland-based creative director, journalist, curator and stylist with over two decades of experience at the forefront of fashion and culture. But beyond the professional, Auckland is simply home for Dan – and these are the places he’s loving at the moment. Read the full kōrero on artfair.co.nz (link in bio). Pictured - Cover Image: Dan Ahwa, Courtesy Scott Hardy

Te Uru will be closed for Easter Friday 3 April but open every other day across Easter weekend. Come to visit through our regular opening hours 10am - 4:30pm and see the current exhibitions on offer. Enjoy the long weekend, paired with some art. Avtar Singh 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 Kahurangiariki Smith 𝘒𝘢𝘪 𝘢 𝘵𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘸𝘩𝘢 Ammon Ngakuru 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 (𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨) Kalisolaite ‘Uhila 𝘒𝘰𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘶 𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘪𝘢 TE URU GALLERY OPEN 7 DAYS 10AM - 4.30PM CLOSED EASTER FRIDAY Image credit | Photography by Samuel Hartnett (@samuel_hartnett )

A performance by Kalisolaite 'Uhila⁠ Sat 28 Mar, 11am – 4pm @artspace.aotearoa ⁠ This Saturday, join artist Kalisolaite 'Uhila for at Artspace Aotearoa a durational performance which explores the Tongan concept of fakalongolongo, quiet, in response to aspects of Gordon Bennett’s performance practice.⁠ ⁠ @kalisolaite ⁠ 📷 Kalisolaite 'Uhila. 📸 @samuel_hartnett ⁠ #kalisolaiteuhila #michaellett #artspaceaotearoa