Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania: Maori and Tongan Artists Transform Venetian Church

Taloi Havini, an artist from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, curates the exhibition "Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania" at the deconsecrated Church of San Lorenzo in Venice, a collaboration between TBA21–Academy and OGR Torino. Two Indigenous Oceanic artists, Tongan Latai Taumoepeau and Māori Elisapeta Hinemoa Heta, present site-specific, performable installations that address the shared threat of rising sea levels linking the Pacific islands and Venice. Taumoepeau's "Deep Comunion sung in minor (ArchipelaGO, THIS IS NOT A DRILL)" is an immersive sound installation with sixteen platforms on a mirrored floor, inviting the public to paddle and activate a polyphonic chant honoring Moana (the ocean). Heta's "The Body of Wainuiātea" features a platform of earth bricks, a fabric vault evoking twelve sky levels, sixteen seats arranged in a circle, a ceremonial karanga call three times daily, and carved gourd vessels with scented coconut oil, creating a space for sharing ancestral stories. The exhibition title plays on "restoring" and "re-storying" Oceania, emphasizing care and narrative. Performances will activate the works during the opening days of the 60th Venice Biennale.