Auckland Museum Announces Inaugural Matafatafa Aho Pacific Artist In Residence

Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum is thrilled to announce its inaugural Pacific Artist Residency, an innovative initiative designed to cultivate profound creative engagement with its diverse collections.

Benjamin Work has been named as the 2025 Matafatafa Aho Pacific Artist in Residence. Selected from a strong field of Pacific creatives across Aotearoa and the wider Pacific. This residency, delivered in collaboration with Creative New Zealand, provides a unique three-month opportunity to create new work inspired by the Museum’s Documentary Heritage collections, promising to bring fresh perspectives and vibrant narratives to our cultural treasures.

These collections are diverse in both format and time-period, consisting of manuscript, ephemera, oral history, photographic and works on paper from the 18th century to today. The heart of the Documentary Heritage collections beats strongest in the stories of Māori and the Pacific, the history of the greater Auckland region, and experiences in global conflicts and explorations.

Benjamin Work is an artist of Tongan and Scottish heritage based in Tāmaki Makaurau. His practice draws from Tongan cultural history, Indigenous mark-making, and visual language systems. His work spans painting, installation, and large-scale murals, often exploring themes of identity, narrative, and cultural memory. Benjamin has exhibited nationally and internationally and is known for his exploration at the intersection of Faka-Tonga (Tongan way) and Faka-Pālangi (European way) in contemporary art spaces.

Benjamin Work and Wanda Ieremia-Allan

His residency begins this month, and he will begin working from within the Museum to create a new artwork drawing on these rich collections.

“I'm really interested in stories that reconnect Aotearoa back with our Moana homelands. Whether the stories are found embedded in oral traditions or written history, they all play a part in shedding light on what connects us rather than what separates us. I've had access to our physical treasures within the Pacific collection but this an honour to be selected for this unique opportunity to work with Auckland Museum’s Documentary Heritage collections,” says Benjamin.

Wanda Ieremia-Allan, Associate Curator Documentary Heritage (Pacific Collections) at Auckland Museum, says, “This residency is about creating space for Pacific artists to work with collections that reflect their own histories, cultures and knowledge systems. Benjamin brings a deep and considered practice to this inaugural residency, and we eagerly anticipate seeing how his work brings new life and perspective to the stories held in our Documentary Heritage collections.”

The Matafatafa Aho Pacific Artist Residency stands as a vital component of the Museum’s Matafatafa Aho Five-Year Pacific Delivery Plan. This initiative highlights the Museum’s commitment as a kaitiaki of one of the most significant Pacific collections in the world. By fostering a proactive and dynamic approach, we aim to forge deeper connections with Pasifika communities and the collections. This residency is not just about art; it’s a powerful platform for collaboration, innovation, and the vibrant expression of identity, ancestry and culture.

Creative New Zealand has committed funding to support three years of Matafatafa Aho Pacific Artist Residencies, helping to establish a sustainable platform for Pacific artists to engage with the Museum’s collections and share their creative responses with the wider public.

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