For this special evening, visiting artist Lisa Reihana joins MOA’s Curator of Indigenous Engagement, Damara Jacobs-Petersen for a discussion on Reihana’s artistic practice and the making of the feature exhibition, in Pursuit of Venus [infected]. Integrating hand-painted landscapes with live-action figures and a densely layered soundtrack, this monumental installation invites viewers to observe a series of restaged historical events, real and imagined, of the first contact between British and Pacific peoples.

Lisa Reihana is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans film, sculpture, costume and body adornment, text and photography. Since the 1990s she has significantly influenced the development of contemporary art and contemporary Māori art in Aotearoa New Zealand. Reihana represented New Zealand at the Venice Biennale in 2017 with the large-scale video installation in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (2015-17).

in Pursuit of Venus [infected] is currently on view at MOA and closes on January 5, 2025.