Megan Tamati-Quennell speaks with Māori artist Ana Iti about the environments, sites and structures—such as Hokianga, the artist’s tribal landscape—evoked in her sonic and sculptural installations. Text and language run through her practice, including her Sharjah Biennial 16 commission ‘A hybrid made of both’ (2025), an installation that explores the historical and technological transition of te reo Māori from the spoken to the written form. Together, Iti and Tamati-Quennell discuss the responsibility of conserving te reo Māori as form of resistance against erasure. Tune in to learn more about Iti’s research and the role of writing in her creative process, and to hear a field recording from ‘A resilient heart like mānawa’. 

‘A resilient heart like mānawa’ is on view at Kalba Ice Factory, and ‘A hybrid made of both’ and ‘A dusty handrail on the track’ (2021) are on view at Old Al Dhaid Clinic from 6 February to 15 June 2025.

CREDITS

Host: Megan Tamati-Quennell

Guest: Ana Iti

Editorial and Content Strategy: Jyoti Dhar, Kamayani Sharma and Mahshid Rafiei

Producer: Kamayani Sharma

Sound Engineer: Basil Kisswani

Shownotes: Mahshid Rafiei

Music and Sound: Excerpt from ‘A resilient heart like mānawa’ (2024) by Ana Iti

Special Thanks: Nawar Al Qassimi, Jiwon Lee and Reem Sawan

© Sharjah Art Foundation, 2025

This episode was recorded on 5 November 2024.