Leilani Kake (born 1976) is a videographer and artist of NgÃÂpuhi, Tainui Waikato, Rakahanga-Manihiki (Cook Islands), and Caucasian American descent from Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her artistic practice has expanded over time to involve a variety of both practical and educational roles nationally and internationally.
She was born in Rotorua, but lived in Papua New Guinea as a child, and later settled in à Âtara, Auckland, although other sources suggest she is based in à ÂtÃÂhuhu, South Auckland.
It is suggested that her artistic career in video-based mediums began in the early 2000s. Her extensive academic background informed and built her practice starting with her Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2002 from the Manukau School of Visual Arts (University of Auckland), and then progressing with her Certificate in Level 1 Te Ara MÃÂori in 2003 with Te WÃÂnanga o Aotearoa, her Post Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts in 2005 with the Manukau School of Visual Arts (University of Auckland), her Diploma of MÃÂori Language Fluency in 2019 with Te WÃÂnanga Takiura o NgÃÂ Kura Kaupapa MÃÂori o Aotearoa, and her Master of Fine Arts with Elam School of Fine Arts.
Kake originally focused her work around video installations but this has evolved into multi-media work and her role as curator, educator and public speaker. Through portrayal of themes such as whakapapa, processes of change, and centring Indigenous stories, Kake has exhibited both nationally with Auckland Art Gallery, City Gallery Wellington, and Fresh Gallery à Âtara, and internationally in Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, France, Taiwan, and the United States.
This exhibition was significant for its contributions of contemporary Pacific arts for the first group show of its kind shown in Auckland Art Gallery. The show was curated by the gallery's senior curator of New Zealand and Pacific Art, Ron Brownson, Julia Waite, Fresh Gallery à Âtara's Ema Tavola, Nina Tonga, and Kolokesa MÃÂhina-Tuai. As mentioned previously over 20 artists got involved in the exhibition, with both emerging and established artists mostly residing in Auckland but coming from varying backgrounds having the opportunity to showcase a range of works. All united by key thematics of what home can represent, mediums of the works include painting, sculpture, photography, videography, adornment pieces, gallery collection items from Auckland Art Gallery, and a total of 13 new commissions by multiple artists. Alongside the exhibition other events were run by the gallery and artists such as family-friendly events, artist talks and opportunities for community gathering and knowledge sharing. A publication in the form of an exhibition catalogue was also released in 2012 by the gallery entitled Home AKL: Artists of Pacific Heritage in Auckland.
In 2013 alongside Ema Tavola, Kake was invited to speak at the Pacific Art Association's 11th International Symposium in Vancouver, Canada. The two artists received the opportunity after their successful panel in 2009 to the Pacific Islands Students Association at Berkeley University in Los Angeles, and later lectures throughout multiple Californian universities when invited to speak at one of the most significant visual arts events in the US, the 97th College Arts Association Annual Conference. Kake and Tavola organised a fundraising campaign called 2 Girls, 1 Conference where they sold t-shirts and ran an art auction to raise the funds to travel to and present at the conference.