QAGOMA curator Ruha Fifita on The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial, community and the must-see artworks
Born and raised in the Island Kingdom of Tonga, Ruha Fifita has been a member of QAGOMA’s curatorial team across three Asia Pacific Triennials (APT). For the flagship exhibition’s latest edition, Ruha worked with Pacific artists on a range of landmark pieces which continue APT’s long legacy of strengthening cultural understanding and public wellbeing. From Bernice Akamine’s kapa tapestry to Tonga’s Lepamahanga Women’s Group striking woven mat, Ruha’s contributions to this year’s exhibition are nothing short of momentous. We were lucky enough to chat with Ruha about curating this year’s Triennial, the power of community art making and the must-see artworks.
To start, we’d love to know about the origins of your relationship with art. What led you to the world of visual art, both as a practising artist and a curator?
My parents are both primary school teachers and very creative people who chose to raise my siblings and me in communities in the Pacific, mainly Tonga, where creative expression was a natural part of how we participated in community life and central to the way we were educated about the world and built relationships with others.
My paternal grandmother, ‘Akesa Fifita, and eldest sister Ebonie Fifita have also been strong influences in my relationship with visual art. My grandmother seemed to be constantly creating, whether it was weaving, writing poetry or creating ngatu (painted barkcloth) with other women. I have always looked up to my sister who shares a strong interest in visual arts, which she chose to study in her high school years and created rich opportunities for us to learn from and with her from a young age.
Throughout much of our youth, we worked together as siblings and with close friends to explore different ways of making and sharing art to respond to needs and opportunities within our community. This often involved curating small exhibitions together in partnership with local organisations (there were no art galleries in Tonga at the time) which was a valuable way to learn about what exhibition making could look like and achieve and to build relationships with other artists in the region. These experiences and relationships continue to be foundational in my ongoing work as an artist and curator.
Being on the team that curates the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition is no doubt a massive undertaking – where does the curatorial process typically start?
I have loved learning about how the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art takes shape. To me, it feels like a very circular process where the research and relationships developed over the course of its long history continue to inform its subsequent iterations. Even so, it could be said that the curatorial process typically begins with reflection on the previous iteration and many collective conversations between the members of the curatorial team about where and with whom they see opportunities to deepen or develop meaningful connections.
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Members of the curatorial team have worked together over multiple iterations which has nurtured a strong culture of close collaboration within the team. It has also supported a long-term commitment to learning about the region and how its arts practices can be effectively platformed and supported through the Triennial.
In 2021, APT 10 took place during the height of the pandemic, wherein the curatorial team were unable to complete research trips. What was the experience like curating this year’s edition with the return of travel and face-to-face contact?
With the possibility of travel opening back up for this Triennial, I was able to return to Fiji, Hawai’i and Tonga, with a focus on spending time in the ‘outer’ islands and exploring artistic practices flourishing beyond the more urban areas that I engaged with in the previous iteration.
The opportunity to delve deeper and spend time in places that help us expand our understanding of the rich cultural diversity and complex local histories and relationships that exist within and between national borders is something I really value. In the 11th Triennial, we build on this in a number of ways, by looking at how artists navigate reconnecting with cultural practices in new contexts, and reflect on histories of migration and how distinct practices are contextualised within dedicated multi-artist projects.
Some examples are the ‘TAMBA’ project, which offers a glimpse into some of the art practices belonging to the 59 Indigenous nationalities within Nepal; a project by KAWAKI and Dreamcast Theatre developed through collaboration between distinct Solomon Islands communities; and ‘Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago: Roots and currents’, which highlights the ‘tri-culture’ from the southernmost region of the Philippines.
A major component of APT is the theme of community-driven art-making. How does this distinguish APT from other exhibitions?
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Community-driven and collaborative art-making practices are flourishing throughout the region and I really enjoy learning about how this can be celebrated and effectively represented.
Working with such practices has influenced many elements of the exhibition-making process, from how artists and languages are acknowledged in our labels and publications, to the ways that physical and online spaces are designed to give audiences access to the community and cultural contexts in genuine ways. In this Triennial, one beautiful example of this is the garden in the expansive project by Haus Yuriyal which sits as an integral part of their vibrant installation just as subsistence agriculture is central to their lives, culture and artistic practices.
Another example is a project which Aunofo Havea Funaki led in collaboration with her family members and neighbours who make up the Lepamahanga Women’s Group in Tu’anuku village, Vava’u, Tonga. Together they created a largescale Fala Kuta – a specialty mat made from a distinctive freshwater reed known as Kuta. The reeds grow in Tonga’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Ano, which is located right next to Tu’anuku village. The process of making the work involved caring for the health of the marshland eco-system, creating intergenerational learning spaces for reconnection with local stories and motifs, whilst fostering community dialogues about the evolving significance and further possibilities for this ancient practice.
It’s uplifting to get these glimpses into how community-driven projects can generate outcomes that can offer meaningful and lasting benefits broader-community processes and learning.
You have worked on three previous Asia Pacific Triennial exhibitions – how would you say this iteration differs from its predecessors? The exhibition spans the entirety of GOMA and also part of the Queensland Art Gallery – what would you say are some of APT 11’s must-see pieces for those who are short on time?
I am writing this just a few days after the official opening of the Triennial and the task of taking time to really absorb and reflect on the exhibition as a whole is still ahead of me, so it’s easier to think about what has felt different about the process of making it.
On that note, my involvement in the Community Partners program stood out as an exciting point of difference. Our team has worked alongside five artists and community organisations to investigate, co-design and nurture meaningful connections and interactions between artists, audiences and local Asian and Pacific communities. I see a lot of value in actively exploring the role that fostering and maintaining relationships with local communities can play in shaping this exhibition series and into the future.
It is difficult to answer the question about must-see pieces, I guess good advice for those who are short on time is to check out the catalogue and website for the exhibition to get an idea of its the scope and find the projects that resonate with you. A lot of people only see the spaces that are most easily accessible when they are short for time instead of getting to the second or third floor where your own ‘must-see’ might be located.
The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art will be on display until April 27, 2025. Find out more here.