Edinburgh’s Scott Lawrie Gallery is showing the fourth in its series of MOANA exhibitions – the final one of this year – highlighting the extraordinary diversity and visual power of a particular group of artists associated with the Gallery, mainly based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Artists include exciting emerging talents such as Sean Hill, Linda Va’aelua (whose work is pictured), and Ercan Cairns, together with more established artists Dagmar Dyck, Andy Leleisi’uao, Sefton Rani and Raymond Sagapolutele, and includes a new painting by senior Samoan/NZ artist Fatu Feu’u ONZM.

Says Scott, ‘These are complex and nuanced stories of individual or family circumstances, unique explorations of ideas of ‘home’ and the ancestral lineage that comes with it. Many of these artists were children of migrant workers who emigrated to Aotearoa for jobs and a better life for their families. Almost all working-class in their upbringing, they demonstrate an ongoing, multi-layered, and nuanced exploration of what it means to be displaced –  even embraced – within new cultural contexts.’

Keenly aware of the ‘western gaze’ when viewing antipodean art, Scott has carefully curated the exhibition to bring out the best in the artist, his/her narrative, and the viewer, in exploring and absorbing ‘…the rich aesthetic riffs from some of the most unique storytellers on the planet – and all the insights, fresh perspectives (and perhaps even contradictions) that come with it.’