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Filipino New Zealand designer and educator Denise Narciso shares her unique insight into migration, identity and belonging in a new exhibition this month.
Narciso, who is Otago Polytechic principal lecturer of design, is working with Dunedin Dream Brokerage (DDB) to bring her Master’s project exhibition, “Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan” (Stories in Between) to Dunedin audiences.
The exhibition will run from October 10-17 in empty shop space at 125 George St.
Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan (Stories In Between) is an immersive, story-led exhibition exploring migration, identity, and belonging through Narciso’s own experience of moving from the Philippines to New Zealand.
It also explores the lived experiences of eight Filipino New Zealand (Kiwinoy) creatives.
In a statement, Narciso said the project was inspired by the dramatic and interconnected storytelling structure of the Filipino teleserye (television drama).
“Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan is a story of what it means to live between worlds — between cultures, between places, and between who we were and who we are becoming,” Narciso said.
“Through my own journey and the stories of eight Filipino New Zealand creatives, the exhibition explores the uncertainty, connection, memory, and belonging found in the spaces in between.”
At its heart, the exhibition brings together personal storytelling and collective experience.
Narciso gathered the stories of the eight fellow creatives through kwentuhan — the Filipino practice of storytelling through conversation.
In the exhibition, their voices sit alongside her own, offering different perspectives on life between cultures, identities, places, and ideas of home.
Through large-scale illustration, moving image, sound, text, and layered works, Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan creates an immersive environment where personal and collective stories intersect.
Narciso hoped Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan would become a space for community, conversation, and cultural exchange.
The exhibition opens this Saturday, October 10, with a shared Filipino gathering of food, live music and conversation, from 5pm.
Throughout the exhibition, Narciso will also host a series of Tambayan sessions — a chance to gather and take part in Filipino-inspired activities and shared experiences.
These are being developed in collaboration with the Otago Filipino Students Association (OFSA).
DDB broker Jess Covell said projects like Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan were “exactly why creating opportunities for artists to share their work with the wider Ōtepoti community is so important”.
“[This] is such a special project, bringing Filipino storytelling, traditions and cultural practices into our community while creating space for people to connect, share and learn from one another,” she said.
Dunedin Dream Brokerage activates vacant urban and retail spaces across Ōtepoti Dunedin through temporary art projects.
Established in 2015, DDB operates with the support of Dunedin City Council and Otago Polytechnic.
It connects artists, property owners and communities to help bring under-used spaces to life in creative and unexpected ways.
For more information, email jess@dunedindreambrokerage.nz.
— Allied Media