Ema Tavola
Born1982
NationalityFiji, New Zealand
EducationManukau School of Visual Arts
OccupationArtist & curator
Organization(s)Founder of Fresh Gallery and Vunilagi Vou galleries in Auckland
Known forAdvocacy of Pacific art and artists

Ema Tavola (born 1982) is an artist, curator, arts manager and advocate using art to centralise 'Pacific ways of seeing'.[1][2]

Early life and family

Tavola was born in Fiji. Her father is from Dravuni in the Kadavu province of Fiji.[3][4] Her mother is a third generation Pākehā from Palmerston North in New Zealand.[3] While she was growing up she also lived with her family in London and Belgium.[3] As a teenager they moved to Wellington, New Zealand and she attended Wellington High School. After high school Tavola was having a gap year in Fiji and experienced the 2000 Fiji civilian coup.[3]

Education and career

Returning to New Zealand Tavola went on to study a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Manukau School of Visual Arts in South Auckland, and got a job with Manukau City Council after graduating.[3]

In 2006 she founded the Fresh Gallery in Ōtara, Auckland as a partnership with Manukau City Council and the local community.[5] In 2013 it re-opened after expansion.[6]

Artistic career

Tavola has speaking engagements at conferences and other places. In 2019 she was a guest speaker at Para Site International Conference, Hong Kong, the Singapore Art Book Fair for NTU Centre for Contemporary Art (Singapore) and Spinning Triangles: Ignition of a School of Design for SAVVY Contemporary (Berlin, Germany / Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo).[4][7][8][9]

In 2019 Tavola opened an independent art gallery called Vunilagi Vou.[10]

Tavola's artworks are held the collections at Auckland Art Gallery.[11]

Curatorial work

Awards and residencies

2017 – Pacific Studies Artist in Residence – University of Canterbury Macmillan Brown Centre

References

  1. ↑ "Ema Tavola appointed Pacific Studies Artist in Residence at UC". Creative New Zealand. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "Volume: Bodies of Knowledge – Metro Arts Brisbane". metroarts.com.au. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Husband, Dale (27 March 2021). "Ema Tavola: What our artists are telling us". E-Tangata. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "About Ema". Vunilagi Vou. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Māhina-Tuai, Kolokesa U. (2014). "Fresh Gallery, Ōtara". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  6. ↑ Evans, Adrian (3 April 2013). "Refreshing start for Otara gallery". Stuff. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "2019 Para Site International Conference". Para Site. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "2019 — Singapore Art Book Fair". singaporeartbookfair.org. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  9. ↑ "Spinning Triangles: Ignition of a school of design". S A V V Y Contemporary. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Punch, Pantograph. "Ema Tavola". Pantograph Punch. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Ema Tavola". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Edmiston Gallery Archive". New Zealand Maritime Museum. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "Kaitani Curated by Ema Tavola". The Physics Room. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Ford, Emily (30 September 2018). "Artists taking south Auckland to Morocco for international exhibition". Stuff. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
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