Edith Amituanai

Miss Amituanai

Edith Amituanai knows intimately the world that she photographs. Both her Samoan heritage and her Auckland upbringing shape her work, which is deliberately anthropological – a study of custom, place, and identity. Many of her photographs record special occasions and family relationships, but they go far beyond the snapshot. They are carefully constructed, with particular attention paid to the surroundings. They have a deadpan, naive appearance, which distances the viewer.

This text was prepared for the Collecting Contemporary exhibition, February 2012.