Kalisolaite 'Uhila
Tongan-born New Zealand performance artist
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Kalisolaite ‘Uhila is a Tongan-born New Zealand award-winning performance artist.
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Kalisolaite 'Uhila | |
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| Born | 1981 (age 44–45) |
| Education | Auckland University of Technology |
| Notable work | Mo’ui tukuhausia (2014), Ongo Mei Moana (2015), Mother Man (2022), Kelekele Mo‘ui (Living Soil) (2024) |
| Style | Performance art |
| Awards | Harriet Friedlander Residency (2021) |
| Website | https://michaellett.com/artist/kalisolaite-uhila/ |
Biography
Kalisolaite ‘Uhila was born in Tonga in 1981, and is based in Auckland.[1][2][3][4] 'Uhila began as a print maker, completing his Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2010.[1][5] He then moved into being a performance artist and completed a Master of Performance and Media Arts in 2016, for which his thesis was entitled: Maumau-taimi: Wasting Time; Being Useless.[1][5][6]
'Uhila's performances have been wide ranging, including "living in a shipping container with a pig for a week,... performing on the roof of a gallery to bemused spectators in adjacent high-rise buildings and the street below, and 'cooking' himself in an umu."[7]
His most famous work, Mo'ui tukuhausia, involved him sleeping rough at Te Tuhi Gallery (2012) and the Auckland Art Gallery (2014), for which he was a finalist for the Walters Prize in 2014.[2][8][9]
In 2015, Ongo Mei Moana saw 'Uhila spend six-hours a day conducting the tide of Oriental Bay, Wellington.[10][11] In 2019, he performed at the Second Honolulu Biennial.[12]
In 2020, 'Uhila was featured in Robert George's movie I Am the Moment, which competed in the New Zealand International Film Festival.[13][14] The film featured 'Uhila's work in Tokyo while in residency at Youkobo Art Space in 2018.[13][15][7]
In 2022, he performed Mother Man with his nephew, at the Auckland Art Gallery, which reinterpreted "Tongan gender roles enacted in ritual and ceremonial events which govern interactions."[15][16] From 2023-2024, he also worked in New York City and Hastings.[17] In 2024, 'Uhila performed Kelekele Mo‘ui (Living Soil) at the Hastings Art Gallery.[17][18]
Awards and residencies
He has been the recipient of a number of awards and residencies including:
- Finalist for Walters Prize, 2014, for Mo'ui tukuhausia[2][9]
- ZK/U & Ifa Galerie Residency, Berlin, 2016[15]
- Contemporary Pacific Art Award, Arts Pasifika Awards, 2017[12][19]
- Montalvo Arts Centre Residency, California[15]
- Youkobo Art Space Residency, Tokyo, 2018[15][7]
- Dunedin Public Art Gallery’s Aotearoa New Zealand Visiting Artist, 2019[20]
- Harriet Friedlander Residency, Arts Foundation of New Zealand, 2021[1][5]