A place worth visiting!
The "dairy experience" is something both Catherine Guevara and Juliana Duran can relate to as migrants in Aotearoa. There is a normalcy in entering these spaces who are generally owned by other migrants. Often, you can see two or more family members arranging the shelves or behind the counter. An immediate bond forms when we recognise their migration story in ours.
From the counter, they witness the space changing and the kids growing up. They are storytellers, sharing glimpses into their lives and the bonds created with the community.
Back home, la tienda (the Colombian dairy) symbolises the familiarity of permanence. They are spaces of exchange, where oral interaction is short but meaningful. Although there will be no comparisons between one diary with another, the Colombian artists want to rescue the nostalgia of the space and the recognition of its main characters.
The artists interviewed dairy owners in East Auckland and got to know their stories. What the owners shared inform the artwork created. The ceramic works made were intervened with carving. The final artwork was displayed as an exhibition that honoured all the past decisions and appreciated the present placement of the families and their stores. The works were gifted back to the business owners and shared within their stores to generate these discussions with local customers.
It is important for Cath and Juliana to commemorate the resilience and perseverance of their journeys, as it is essential to celebrate the diversity Aotearoa has to offer.
This was an Arts Out East project supported by Te Tuhi and Howick Local Board