Shakaiah Perez, also known as Travelling Feather, is of Afro-Polynesian descent and is a multi dimensional artist, blogger and dj, working on visual performance and activism art. Shakaiah has been overseas, and recently returned home to Aotearoa. While she was in London late last year, during the anniversary celebrations of Captain Cook, she was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts for an exhibition called Cosmic Ocean along with other pasifika artists that 'celebrated contemporary Oceanic culture and the unique natural landscape of the pacific islands, from seas to skies' says the website. Shakaiah chose to make a film which was called: Exotic Savage: The Decolonisation, and the blurb read as follows: This new multi-sensory artwork incorporates poetry, dance, film, installation and participatory performance art to weave together narratives of (de)colonialism while celebrating Perez’s layered heritage and the stories of those in her communities. Lillian Hanly spoke with Shakaiah about the exhibition but first started by getting her to tell us more about her background and upbringing given this is the very experience which informs her work.
Shakaiah is looking to host an exhibition here in Aotearoa with the film before returning to London and is looking to hear how the NZ Pacific community responds to the film.
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