Title

Knowledge is shaped by more than classrooms, textbooks, and institutions.
Some of our most important learning happens through community, culture, relationships, and shared experience. Yet these ways of creating and sharing knowledge are not always recognised by traditional academic systems.

Drawing on Pacific approaches to art, education, performance, and research, this talk explores how different ways of knowing can challenge, enrich, and reshape established ideas about learning. In doing so, it considers what Indigenous perspectives can reveal about creativity, education, and the ways knowledge is valued and shared.

Bio

John Vea is a Tongan academic and contemporary artist based in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), where he is currently a lecturer in Fine Arts and Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury. His teaching and research contribute to contemporary art discourse and Pacific scholarship in Aotearoa.

Prior to this role, he lectured at the School of Art and Design at Auckland University of Technology, where he completed a practice-led PhD in 2021.

Alongside his academic work, Vea maintains an active artistic practice spanning sculpture, video, and durational performance. His work engages with themes of Pacific migration, labour politics, and immigration policies.

Event

Tuesday, 15 September 2026, 6:30pm – 7:30pm @Two Thumb Manchester,

The other talk at this location is ………. at 8:00pm – 9:00pm