JIM SPEERS + TU RAPANA NEILL + AMANDA WRIGHT

A forthcoming exhibition of compelling photographic works by highly regarded New Zealand artist and filmmaker Jim Speers and filmmaker Tu Rapana Neill in collaboration with New Public’s, Amanda Wright, presented alongside a public screening of Ayukakawa - The Weight of a Life (2021), by Jim Speers and Tu Rapana Neill.

Based on numerous images taken during the production of Tu Rapana Neill’s and Jim Speers’ 2021 documentary, Ayukawa: The Weight of a Life, the exhibition delves into the complex and poignant topic of whaling in Japan.

Ayukawa, a town once thriving on the whaling industry, now faces decline, its traditions challenged by cultural changes and international regulations. This sensitive photographic enquiry offers a compelling series of windows onto these changes, providing a deeper understanding of Ayukawa’s very human narrative. Extrapolating from the documentary, Speers and Wright seek to reveal how the often overlooked and unremarkable aspects of everyday life, when given space and time, can open onto deeper, emotionally and politically complex human narratives. Their works delve into the unspoken and untranslatable experiences of others, bringing viewers closer to distant realities and echoing the unvoiced truths and conflicting values that often lie at the heart of our shared existence.

Ayukawa – The Weight of a Life

A Film Written & Co-Directed by Tu Rapana Neill and Jim Speers

Superpartner is pleased to announce the screening of Ayukawa: The Weight of a Life. Along with the screening, there will be a discussion and Q & A featuring co-director Jim Speers.

At once tranquil and bracing, Tu Rapana Neill and Jim Speers’ film is a portrait of a seaside town and its vanishing way of life. Ayukawa sits at the end of the Oshika peninsula, right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. 'A town that started and ended with whaling,' in recent decades, work has dried up and Ayukawa’s population steadily declined. In this absorbing documentary by New Zealand directors Tu Rapana Neill and Jim Speers, aging citizens of various stripes (carpenters, flensers, hoteliers, gunners, Buddhist priests) open up about their personal experiences, explain their worldviews and fill in the history of the town and Japanese whaling. (Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival)

Jim Speers is an artist and filmmaker known for his documentary films for cinema and art contexts. His feature film Ayukawa: The Weight of a Life, premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2021 and was included in the Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival. Previous film projects with the collective Field Recordings were shown at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, the Rockbund Museum in Shanghai, and Te Wai Ngutu Kākā Gallery in Auckland. His art practice spans installation, light sculpture, printmaking, and digital production. Speers’ artwork is included in New Zealand’s significant public collections. Speers is also an Associate Professor at University of Auckland, researching documentary ethics and community engagement.

Tu Rapana Neill is a celebrated Māori filmmaker, editor, writer, and director from the Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Ueoneone iwi. He is known for impactful projects like Ayukawa: The Weight of a Life, Ahikāroa, Te NGz, and Nā Wai I Teka?. With over 14 years of experience in the UK film and TV industry, he now leads Kura Productions in New Zealand. Tu's work champions Māori storytelling, aiming to expand te reo Māori and te ao Māori through his diverse and engaging film works. His dedication to meaningful content and his unique perspective as a Māori filmmaker has earned him a respected place in the industry, both locally and internationally.

Amanda Wright is an artist and designer based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, who leads the design and publishing project New Public. This initiative collaborates with artists and cultural institutions to explore contemporary visual and material culture. Key projects include On the Last Afternoon: Disrupted Ecologies in the Work of Joyce Campbell(2020), Thus the Blast Carried It, into the World(2021), and There is Nothing to Do, There is Nowhere to Go (2023). Upcoming projects are Chronicles with artist Lisa Crowley and an archive book project with artist Richard Malloy. Amanda's work is characterised by thoughtful design and meaningful collaborations.