When I received the invitation from Auckland Art Gallery to participate in the installation of my work and conversations with the public I got very excited. Having the chance to travel to and work in New Zealand was a fantastic opportunity to finally learn a little more about a mysterious place on the other side of the world.
Auckland Art Gallery is a beautiful building, with a dynamic and courageous exhibition programme, and great professionals who are committed and receptive. I felt deeply welcomed by the Gallery especially after a beautiful Māori welcome ceremony was extended to me and the other artists.
Over the days I was there and getting to know the city with its beautiful beaches and islands I felt familiarity not only because of the weather and the richness of the local vegetation but especially when I looked to our origins. The first New Zealand people, the Māori, are much like our indigenous people in Brazil, a subject that interests me because of work and also because of my own roots.
At the end of the trip I came away with a very good feeling from understanding the relationships not only between the peoples of South America represented in the exhibition Space to Dream but also between cultures of the southern hemisphere. The trip was unforgettable and it let into my heart the desire to carry out continuous learning about Māori and Brazilian indigenous peoples.
