New Kid in Town

Talofa lava, my name is Christopher Ulutupu and I am a visual artist based in Wellington. I have been given the opportunity to exhibit new work at Cement Fondu, Sydney in January 2021. 

My art practice is autobiographical by nature, referencing personal experiences of what it means to be a Samoan/Niuean/German artist, growing up in Aotearoa. I have been collaborating with family, friends and non trained actors since the start of my video practice, including my recent solo exhibition Be Happy / Be Still (2019) and Lelia (2018).

This Project

This project is about Pacific diasporic identity, which cannot exclude the influence of Fanau. Their participation is integral to my process, and the quality of this new work - without their presence my ideas will become hypothetical; resulting in a very different work. Exploring what it means to be Samoan growing up in a very white town, a space where I am hesitant to call my hometown, especially since it wasn’t designed for people like me. This conflict will be at the centre of my new works and which I have coined the term “First Encounters”.

The staging of these (sometimes) awkward ‘first encounters’ with palagi culture, will be filmed amongst mundane tourist activities. Exercising in the park, a Samoan family barbecue, people taking hikes in forest only to stumble across a backpacker showering under a waterfall and an outdoor disco which inolves a rogue DJ. I’m planning to shoot 7 – 10 new video works over the the space of a week, and each work to be between 4 minutes to 10 minutes long.

Your Support 

I am asking for financial support towards the creation of a new collection of video works filmed in Wellington and Nelson Lakes National Park in late November. This support would be helping pay for the collaborators artist fees, transport, per diems, and technical support.

Adventure and humor are key aspects of my art practice and with this funding, I can offer my team of collaborators more chances to explore different landscapes/people – as depicted in my short promo video.

I am asking you to ‘take a chance on me’ and I will in return be able to make some amazing videos.