Frock A Whanaungatanga

Bunjil Place, in association with Asia TOPA and Arts Centre Melbourne, is thrilled to present the exhibition and workshop series FROCK A WHANAUNGATANGA by the legendary Tāgata Moana (People of the Pacific) art collective, the Pacific Sisters, in the Bunjil Place Gallery from 8 December 2024 to 9 March 2025. 

Curated by the Pacific Sisters and Jade Hadfield, FROCK A WHANAUNGATANGA marks the Pacific Sisters’ first Australian solo exhibition and showcases their vibrant legacy through fashion, performance, film, and music, exploring ancestral connections and kinship, bringing to life the artistic traditions of the Moana. 

As visitors move through the exhibition, they will encounter niu aitu (new ancestors) avatars adorned in the Sisters’ intricate handmade garments alongside ancestral taonga and measina (treasured cultural items) drawn from the collections of Museums Victoria and National Gallery of Victoria, and new works from the Sisters. The exhibition also offers visitors a dynamic Pasifika lounge to engage with archival footage and imagery from the Pacific Sisters’ 30 years of pioneering work.  

Alongside the exhibition, visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in making practices of the Moana with a series of adornment-making workshops, exploring textile techniques and chatting with the Pacific Sisters about Moana making practices, kinship, ritual and activism through art and adornment.