Woman of Colour (2019) by Leilani Kake

Woman of Colour by Ōtara-based artist and educator, Leilani Kake was produced for the Vunilagi Vou exhibition project, Finding Emory: A Poster Show (2019). This poster is one of a series of seven original works inspired by the iconic aesthetic of Emory Douglas, former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party. From the controversial trial of armed Police response units in South Auckland to the ongoing indoctrination of imposed body / faith politics, the seven artworks spoke directly to shifts and changes that affected the lives of indigenous people in the South Pacific / Moana Oceania in 2019.

Woman of Colour (2019)

National Party MP Judith Collins recently tweeted, “I am woman of colour – the colour white”. Comedian Brendan Kelly responded, “Judith Collins saying she is a woman of colour (white) is the whitest thing I’ve ever heard in all my days.”

Leilani Kake 

Leilani Kake is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and educator. Her involvement and training in the arts has been broad, most recently completing a Diploma of Māori Language Fluency at Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa in 2019. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Elam School of Fine Arts.

Emerging in the early 2000s, Kake has worked primarily with video installation to explore states of transition, ritual and whakapapa (genealogy), which are informed by indigenous knowledge systems.

(Source: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki)