Jim Vivieaere


James Earnest Vivieaere, a New Zealand artist of Cook Island Maori heritage, was born in Waipawa, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. He was a well-respected and significant multimedia and installation artist, freelance curator and a passionate advocate for contemporary Pacific art.

Early life

Vivieaere was raised in the Hawke's Bay by adoptive parents. His contact with his Rarotongan heritage came later in life; in 1982 he was awarded a scholarship to study tapa in Rarotonga and located his father on that trip.

Education

High academic achievement saw Vivieaere enrol in Dunedin medical school in the late 1960s. He found it difficult to fit into the ‘white upper middle class confines of med school’ and dropped out to enrol at The University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts where he studied graphic design from 1971 to 1974.

Career as a curator

Vivieaere worked to profile contemporary Pacific artists to the world. He curated the formative contemporary Pacific arts survey exhibition Bottled Ocean: Contemporary Polynesian Artistswhich launched at Wellington City Art Gallery in 1994 and toured New Zealand throughout 1994–1995. “Bottled Ocean was the first survey of contemporary New Zealand Polynesian art and 'featured many now iconic Pacific artists including Fatu Feu’u, Johnny Penisula, John Pule, Lily Laita, John Ioane, Niki Hastings-McFall, Albert Refiti, Filipe Tohi, Michel Tuffery, Ani O'Neill, Loretta Young, Patrick Futialo.'
In 2006 he was awarded the Senior Pacific Artist Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifka Awards.
Exhibitions as a curator: