Talanoa Forum
Talanoa is a pan-Pacific word that describes a process of inclusive, participatory, and transparent dialogue. Using talanoa as a point of conceptual departure, artist Yuki Kihara has organised the Talanoa Forum entitled Swimming Against the Tide to extend the themes of her exhibition Paradise Camp with talanoa around small island ecologies, intersectionality, oceanhood, colonisation, and collections.
Spanning across virtual and physical spaces in Venice, Leiden, and Amsterdam, Talanoa Forum is an assembly of artists, curators, scholars, activists, community leaders, and policymakers into a series of critical talanoa inspired by the words of the late Māori New Zealand filmmaker Merata Mita who declared “swimming against the tide makes you stronger.” Mita explored the political tensions in Aotearoa during the 1970s and the 80s by championing issues such as Indigenous sovereignty and gender equality. Mitaʻs words orient the Talanoa Forum towards how localised strategies including art, activism, and policy are being shaped to address the global concerns of our times.
The online talanoa are presented on 22 September, 29 September, and 10 November 2022; and the in-person talanoa in October 2022 presented in Venice, Italy (October 11-13) and Leiden/Amsterdam, the Netherlands ( 15-19 October 2022). The outcome of the Talanoa Forum will be a publication that highlights the talanoa over Venice and Leiden/Amsterdam.
