Brett Graham conceives of his Māori whakapapa as a Pasifika/Moana identity affiliated with a global network of indigenous and non-Western peoples. From this foundation, his work engages with histories of imperialism and global indigenous issues.

The British colonisation of Graham’s homeland, Aotearoa New Zealand, during the era of European expansionism was a process predicated on assumptions of racial, religious, cultural and technical superiority. Presented in this Triennial, the works in Graham’s Tai Moana Tai Tangata provide portals to this time.

Bùi Công Khánh resides for several months a year in Bát Tràng, one of Việt Nam’s ancient pottery villages. Working with ceramics since the 2000s, Bùi’s refined technique results in remarkable bodies of work varied in scale, concept and expression. They include vases in glossy blues, reds and ivory-whites; colourful porcelain medals in reds, greens and gold leaf; and plaques decorated with vines that conceal tangles of medals and grenades. A group of new, large-scale vases share varied glazes and delicate hand-painted images of dragons, cityscapes, colourful human figures, smoke and clouds, drooping cobalt sunflowers and chrysalis-like human forms. These works, never previously exhibited, are shown on Level 3 of GOMA, alongside his first venture into film — an atmospheric tribute to the ceramic village where he works.