Jimmy Ma’ia’i
All Star 1.0
Where U From, 2025 (detail)
Grace presents All Star, a two-part exhibition by Jimmy Ma’ia’i.
Jimmy Ma’ia’i is an installation artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland whose practice utilises found objects and materials, and the readymade. Of Sāmoan and Scottish descent, Ma’ia’i draws upon mixed-heritage experiences, cultural dislocation and the impact of colonisation in his artworks. Recent exhibitions include Spring Time is Heart- break: Contemporary Art in Aotearoa, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū (2023-24) and Ocean of Whispers, Enjoy Contemporary Art Space (2022-23).
Where U From, 2025 (installation)
Where U From, 2025 Airbrushed masi from Moce Island, Lau 1140 x 1150
Povai Aisa & Povai Sikotilani, 2025 (installation)
Povai Aisa, 2025 Reclaimed ifilele (kwila), moissanite, afa (sennit cord) from Nofotane SVSG 695mm
Povai Sikotilani, 2025 Reclaimed ifilele (kwila), afa (sennit cord) from Nofotane SVSG 690mm
Fa’alaufa’i & Povai Sikotilani, 2025 (installation)
Fa’alaufa’i, 2025 Reclaimed jarrah, moissanite, afa (sennit cord) from Nofotane SVSG 830mm
All Star 1.0 is accompanied by a text by Emil Scheffmann:
“….All Star, named for the iconic footwear long emblematic of LA gang culture, reflects on what it means to shine within and beyond systems of recognition. The phrase carries the weight of Samoan wayfinding and the constellation of diasporic movement, and in Ma’ia’i’s hands, the “star” becomes guidance — a means of navigating inheritance, distance, and return.”
Full text available here.
All Star 2.0 opens in January, 2026.
Please contact the gallery here to receive a catalogue for All Star 1.0.