Project Banaba (2017-) by Katerina Teaiwa
Exhibition still from Project Banaba (2017) presented at Carriageworks, Gadigal Sydney. Photo by Susan Wimberley. Courtesy of Carriageworks, Gadigal Sydney.
Project Banaba (2017 –) by Banaban scholar and artist Katerina Teaiwa (Tabiang and Tabwewa) is a travelling multimedia installation that commemorates the history of Banaba, also known as Ocean Island in the Moana Pacific. Banaba Island was destroyed by environmentally devastating phosphate mining during the 20th century, leading to the total relocation of its people in 1945.
Project Banaba explores the untold phosphate mining history in Banaba Island; and the resilience of the Banaban community in the face of social and political adversity. Project Banaba tours to locations that have a shared history with Banaba, particularly through phosphate mining.
First commissioned by Carriageworks, Gadigal Sydney in 2017, Project Banaba has subsequently toured MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri (Aotearoa NZ, 2019); Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery (Aotearoa NZ, 2022) and will tour the Kingdom of Hawai’i in 2024 co-curated by Native Hawaiian, artist, curator and scholar Joy Enomoto.
Katerina Teaiwa’s website for Project Banaba
Project Banaba: A Dialogue on Exhibition Collaboration and Methods article published in the Journal of the Pacific Arts Association, 2022