LATAI TAUMOEPEAU – CLIMATE JUSTICE IN THE PACIFIC

Latai Taumoepeau, born in 1972 in Sydney, is a contemporary artist of Tongan and Australian origine. Recognised as a Punake—a Tongan term for an artist who composes poetry, songs, and choreography—she builds her artistic practice around faivā, a performative practice focused on the body.

Her work explores the crucial themes of ethnicity, class, and the female body, and is deeply engaged with the issue of climate change in the Pacific, highlighting the power dynamics and risk of expropriation faced by island communities. She uses the body as a living archive to question ancestral memory, belonging, and Oceanic sovereignty.

Her work “Deep Communion sung in minor” (ArchipelaGO, THIS IS NOT A DRILL) is a 16-channel immersive sound installation that invites the public to take part in a durational performance, raising awareness about the dangers of deep-sea mining in the Pacific.

Built around a platform of sound and stationary rowers, the work evokes mass collective worship rituals. It overlays geopolitical issues with cultural complexities, particularly those linked to spiritual beliefs and ritual practices, through faivā performances (focused on the body). The installation is presented at Fondation Opale as part of the 2nd edition of Biennale Son.

On August 30, Latai Taumoepeau will be at Fondation Opale for a performance within this immersive installation — her interpretation of an ancient choral ritual, the Me’etu’upaki: (me’e) means dance, (tu’u) standing, (paki) with paddles.

Artist talk in English, French translation available

Free event
Booking required: online ticketing

Photo: Nicolò Miana