Greg Semu (Samoa/New Zealand-Sydney)
Greg Semu (born 1971, in Auckland) is a New Zealand-born photographic artist of Samoan descent. Semu is largely self-taught as an artist and film-maker. In 1994 Semu was included in the landmark exhibition Bottled Ocean (1994), curated by Jim Vivieaere. In 1994 Semu also directed the music video for New Zealand hip hop group Sisters Underground’s classic song ‘In the Neighbourhood’.
Beside working as an artist, Semu has also worked as a commercial photographer. In 2010 he took portraits of New Zealand-born Polynesian rugby league players for a calendar produced by the Casula Powerhouse as a fundraiser and community outreach project for the Pasifika community.
“RED COATS + INDIANS 2.0” (2019-2021)
Photographic Installation: lightbox, sound | Variable size
This photo series installation was the new version of “RED COATS+INDIANS” exhibited in 2019 while Greg was an artist-in-residence at National Taitung University. The artwork itself was a form of criticism towards global pop culture -especially depicted in the Hollywood movie archetype “Cowboys and Indians”— and also to criticize mainstream narrative surrounding the death of Captain Cook—. Through photography and audio installation “Te Po”, Greg presents a multisensory experience to ignite alternative and subversive dialog about colonialism.
Greg collaborates with actors from the Amis tribe, the indigenous tribe of Taiwan. They faced colonialism for 200 years until they saw the red coat as a visual reference of the colonizers: symbol of power, strength, blood, and sacrifice. Greg also introduces female warriors as part of the scene, responding to unequal gender roles depiction in heroic moments throughout history.
