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Container or music series
Pigs in the Yard
Auckland 2011
Kalasolaite 'Uhila
The artist spent the duration of The Arcade sharing the shipping container space with a live pig. The work considers the pig as a kind of colonist, and through Uhila’s attempt to co‐habit the space with this animal he was able to comment on the importance of this animal to his native Tongan culture and ongoing colonial concerns in the Pacific Islands. It was a very popular work with the public, attracting many people to the Arcade and significant press attention from TV3 Nightline News and NZ Herald.
Pigs in the Yard was first presented at Mangere Arts Centre in early 2011, where it won the Auckland Fringe Festival award for best Visual Arts work. Uhila’s work consistently addresses his Tongan / Pacific culture through performance art by adopting cultural processes and stories into his performance language. A unique perspective is formed, one that questions tacit understanding of the subject with playful and profound live art practises.
