This is where you'll find Studio Kiin in the spotlight - our complete press archive featuring media coverage, interviews, opinion editorials, essays, and critical recognition. These stories capture how the work of our collective connects with audiences, communities, and the broader creative landscape.
Media Features & Contributions
Features and published work by and about our collective.
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The issue examines the Indigeneity-Blackness nexus in Melanesia and beyond, in Aotearoa New Zealand (Nathan Rew and Makanaka Tuwe)
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Arieta Rika shares insights into her debut poetry collection Kalokalo, exploring themes of motherhood, memory, and Pacific identity.
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A personal essay by Emele Ugavule on embodiment, identity, and reclaiming Indigenous narratives through storytelling.
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A feature exploring Emele’s strategy for nurturing Pacific-led creative practices in Aotearoa.
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Emele Ugavule highlights how more to be to support the Melanesian diaspora in New Zealand.
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Pacific writer Arieta Rika says she hopes many people will resonate with the themes discussed in her first published poetry collection.
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Emele Ugavule draws from and reflects upon a talanoa – a word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to describe sharing ideas or skills through storytelling – between herself, and Oceanic Refractions’ co-creators AM Kanngieser and Mere Nailatikau.
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In this heartfelt feature interview, Emele Ugavule reflects on her ancestral roots, the founding of Rarama Ink, and the vital role of cultural care and story sovereignty in independent publishing. She shares insights on nurturing emerging Pacific storytellers—and why reclaiming our narratives matters deeply.
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Natasha Ratuva reflects on the care, value, and space of Fijian cultural objects in non‑Pacific contexts.
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An in-depth profile of Elsie Andrewes and Emele Ugavule spotlighting Studio Kiin’s approach to Pacific storytelling and collective leadership.
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Featuring Studio Kiin collective members Iya Ware and Emele Ugavule - Screen Australia, in partnership with SBS and NITV, has revealed the shortlist for its Digital Originals initiative—showcasing innovative, short-form Indigenous and culturally diverse storytelling formats aimed at digital audiences. These selected projects represent a bold step forward in supporting underrepresented voices in Australia’s screen sector.
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Lorde talks to Natasha Ratuva and Raihānia Tipoki about their role as a new generation of farmers and how they’re combining regenerative ideas with Indigenous practices for a better future.
Videos & Talks
Recorded conversations, keynotes, performances.
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An insightful conversation on the intersection of identity, creativity, and politics in Aotearoa.
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Emele Ugavule participated in a powerful discussion with writers Zech Soakai and Stacey Kokaua, amplifying Indigenous Pacific voices.
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A feature on storytelling as a living practice essential to Melanesian identity today.
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Nesia Daily spoke with Fijian author Arieta Rika and illustrator, Elsie Andrews about Kalokalo, Rika's new collection of poetry that explores motherhood, romance, friendship and grief.
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Natasha Ratuva discusses revitalising Indigenous hair traditions through community workshops in rural Aotearoa.
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Digital residency talanoa between Emele Ugavule and Steev Laufilitoga Maka
Events & Exhibitions
Reviews and highlights from shows, festivals, workshops.
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Highlights from this festival celebrating Melanesia’s cultures through performance, discussion, and connection.
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Studio Kiin’s Amy Zhang receives a glowing review for her debut play gameboy — a sharply observed, nostalgic, and politically charged meditation on memory, migration, and queer longing. The review praises Zhang’s writing for its emotional complexity and bold theatricality.
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Theatre Travels calls Amy Zhang’s gameboy “exceptional,” praising its poetic rhythm, visual storytelling, and emotional resonance.
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In this edition Mara reviewed Kalokalo - a collection of poetry exploring motherhood, romance, friendship and grief, by Fijian author, Arieta Rika & illustrator, Elsie Andrews.
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Time in Hawai’i has inspired multidisciplinary artist Natasha Ratuva (Kadavu, Bua) to explore new directions in her masi practice (Fijian tapa cloth). As one of the successful applicants for the Early Careers Fund - Toi Tipu Toi Rea, Natasha received support to travel to Hawai’i for a three-week mentorship and knowledge-sharing opportunity.
Want to feature Studio Kiin?
We’re available for interviews, media collaborations, and curatorial invitations.
Email info@studiokiin.com