The Veiqia Project was a creative research project inspired by the practice of Fijian female tattooing. Five contemporary Fijian women artists were engaged in Australia and New Zealand to participate in shared research activities and Museum visits to inform the development of new artwork. The Veiqia Project exhibition took place in Auckland, New Zealand in March 2016 for the Auckland Arts Festival, and coincided with the Pacific Arts Association XII International Symposium.

At its heart, The Veiqia Project involves seven Fijian women – five artists and two curators – on a journey of artistic and cultural enquiry. Through a shared online research forum and time spent with Fijian collections at museums in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, the artists have generated an indigenous research archive driven by personal, artistic and relational connections. The project has drawn significant support from Auckland Museum, Fiji Museum, the Fijian Art Project, practitioners, supporters, friends and family engaged both on and offline.

The Veiqia Project’s strategic alignment with the Pacific Arts Association XII International Symposium is an effort to foreground the important dynamic between indigenous artists, Museum collections, the past and the present, the ‘collected’ and the ‘collector’.

The Veiqia Project received support from Creative New Zealand Pacific Arts, and was presented in association with the Auckland Arts Festival.

The Veiqia Project (installation view), 2016.

The Veiqia Project (installation view), 2016.