Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Born 1978, Sydney, Australia
Lives and works in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand

Working predominantly with performance and single and multichannel video, Shannon Te Ao’s installations poetically explore the intersections of indigeneity, language and loss; a subject reflective of Te Ao’s own experience of coming to te reo (the Māori language) and cultural knowledge as an adult. For the script of each work, the artist draws on a range of literary materials, including waiata (song) and whakataukī (proverbs), as well as poetic and lyrical texts from popular culture.

His most recent work is based on original songs developed by Te Ao in collaboration with Māori songwriters. Performed in te reo, these songs are paired with evocative filmic sequences that trace moments of transition and transformation, particularly in relation to the body and its boundaries. Time, experience and the spiritual exist along a continuum where past, present and future coexist. Within a Māori worldview, this sentiment is a guiding principle. ‘Ka mua, ka muri’ — we walk backwards into the future.

_{Supported by Creative New Zealand.}