Wai Ching Chan & Tessa Ma'auga

Wai Ching Chan (Tāmaki Makaurau) and Tessa Ma'auga (Manawatū) first met at the 2018 Asian Aotearoa Arts Huì. Their friendship grew into a creative collaboration and a celebrated exhibition,  Kāpuia ngā aho 單絲不綫 at The Physics Room Gallery in Ōtautahi Christchurch in 2022. Drawing upon Tessa Ma'auga's research into whakapapa narratives and Wai Ching Chan's connections between tauiwi and tangata whenua, the artists have created new, nuanced expressions of Chineseness through their sculptural and textiles-based installations. Tessa & Wai Ching had their new work featured as part of the group exhibition New Illuminations: 10 years of Asian Aotearoa Arts at the Engine Room Gallery, 18 April-10 May 2024.