Kalisolaite ‘Uhila: Koe Tenga tete to tete Utu pe koia

Source: https://www.galleries.unsw.edu.au/exhibition/kalisolaite-uhila-koe-tenga-tete-tete-utu-pe-koia Parent: https://www.galleries.unsw.edu.au/

Kalisolaite 'Uhila is a Tongan-born artist based in Aotearoa whose practice revolves around performance. 'Koe Tenga tete to tete Utu pe koia' (the seed you sow you will reap) emerges from the artist’s return to Mildura, Australia, in 2025—almost three decades after living and working in the city as a teenager. The exhibition sees 'Uhila retrace this formative period, reconsidering how acts of labour, masculinity, and care continue to inform his practice.

In 1997, 'Uhila was sent to live with family in Mildura and work in an orange orchard, a demanding form of manual labour shaped by class conditions. Instead, his aunt and uncle enrolled him in school, where he encountered the freedom of subcultures and first connected with art. 'Uhila’s time in Mildura remains pivotal in the trajectory of his life and practice. His return 25 years later has prompted renewed reflection on the enduring roles of hospitality, family, and togetherness in his work, and how growth can emerge from collective histories and personal perseverance.

The proverb 'the seed you sow you will reap' resonates throughout the exhibition, suggesting that every act of labour, kindness, or rebellion carries a potential return. Across performance, installation, video, and sound, 'Uhila transforms everyday gestures and objects into meditations on endurance, resilience, and kinship. Sensory fragments from his youth reappear as material and metaphor—the scent of citrus, the rhythm of skateboard wheels on concrete. 'Koe Tenga tete to tete Utu pe koia' explores how memory, labour, and love intertwine, inviting an intimate encounter with 'Uhila’s practice that reveals how the seeds of our past continue to bear fruit in unexpected ways.

—\ Curated by Anja Lückenkemper

Presented in partnership with Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Aotearoa New Zealand

When

29 May – 16 August 2026

Where

Address

Cnr Oxford St & Greens Rd Paddington NSW 2021

Hours

Wed to Fri 10am–5pm; Sat to Sun 12–5pm

Phone

+61 2 8936 0888

Acknowledgement\ Presented in partnership with Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, Aotearoa

Image: Kalisolaite ‘Uhila, Fakahoke, 2025. Courtesy the artist and Michael Lett, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Photo: Robert George