Ariki Vaine

Morgan Hogg, Ariki Vaine, 2021

4 minutes 21 seconds, single-channel video, sound.
For The Only Thing Left is to Leave. Commissioned by Beirut Art Center and Firstdraft, with the support of the Keir Foundation.

ضمن مشروع كل ما تبقى هو الرحيل

بتكليف من مركز بيروت للفن وفيرست درافت، بدعم من مؤسسة كير

Layered with archival footage and visuals of natural landscapes from the Cook Islands, Ariki Vaine (Chiefess Woman) highlights the importance of both the literal and figural meaning of ‘mother’ within Polynesian culture.

تسلّط آريكي فاين (Chiefess Woman) على أهمية المعاني الحرفية والمجازية للـ"أمومة" في سياق الثقافة البولينيزية، عبر عملها الذي تتنوع طبقاته بين مواد أرشيفية ومواد بصرية للمناظر الطبيعية في جزر كوك.

about the artwork

Morgan Hogg’s Ariki Vaine (Chiefess Woman) is a two-part video series reflecting the story and importance of Mother Earth through Cook Island dance, while exploring the importance of cultural lineage and connection to her ancestors.

Women in my family have been vital role models in my upbringing, and Ariki Vaine displays a graciousness toward the leaders of our culture. The work engages with the disconnection of being biracial, and the importance of connecting with our heritage to understand ourselves.

Layered with archival footage and visuals of nature from the Islands, the work highlights the importance of the figural and literal meaning of ‘mother’ within the Polynesian culture. The two videos, Māmā and Maine, create a conversational barrier through language and movement, between the past and the future, utilising performance as a universal language of storytelling. Ariki Vaine work highlights the importance of maintaining Indigenous cultures that are being lost through a colonised world.

about The Only Thing Left is to Leave

The Only Thing Left is to Leave is an international commissioning project supported by the Keir Foundation, co-developed by Firstdraft and Beirut Art Center. The first part of this project is an online iteration, co-developed by Firstdraft and Beirut Art Center, featuring four artist commissions by Eddie Abd, Roy Dib, Morgan Hogg, and Chrystèle Khodr – individually premiering on Instagram TV. Each of these interdisciplinary artists interrogates what paths are trodden and social formations woven, what common practices are formulated and networks of sustenance formed, when we move.

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