Last year, almost 30 years after he was sent to Mildura to live with extended family and work in an orange orchard, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila (b.1981, Kingdom of Tonga) returned to the Australian city for an art residency. When he first arrived, in 1997, Mildura marked a decisive shift in his life. Instead of fruit picking and experiencing the hardship of manual labour, his aunt and uncle, who were ministers at the Methodist Church, re-enrolled him in school. Within this school ‘Uhila and his cousins were, in his own words, the only brown kids. It was here that he had to carve out a new identity between adolescence and adulthood, between different – at times clashing – cultures and personal dreams and ambitions. With Koe tenga tete to tete utu pe koia (the seed you
sow, you will reap), ‘Uhila revisits a formative period in his life, after returning to the city not as a seasonal worker but as an artist with an established international practice. He reconsiders how acts of labour, masculinity, and care continue to shape his performances and overall artistic practice over nearly three decades.

Mildura is also the place, where ‘Uhila encountered the freedom and joy of subcultures, such as skateboarders and punks, and crucially where he first connected with art, in the classroom and beyond. The city’s public artworks, remnants of the Mildura Sculpture Triennial (1961-88), formed part of this early awareness, embedding contemporary art into the everyday landscape of the town. These experiences echo throughout the exhibition. Everyday gestures and objects are transformed and repositioned within the space, carrying with them the textures of labour, kinship, and youth.

In the smaller, more intimate gallery space, ‘Uhila gathers a collection of letters from his cousins, who reflect on their own memories of growing up in Mildura – stories marked by hardship, as well as resilience and gratitude. Written from different
vantage points, the letters form a chorus of voices that expands the exhibition beyond a single autobiography. Instead, the gallery space becomes a site of exchange, a sharing of words, objects and mutual yet distinct experiences. ‘Uhila marks the opening event through peeling and offering oranges to visitors in a durational performance. For the remainder of the exhibition, he extends a quieter invitation: a place to sit, to rest, and to share an orange in one’s own time. The orchard returns
here not as backdrop, but as gesture of community – fruit passing from hand to hand.

A trio of skateboarding ramps occupies the larger exhibition space. Their presence recalls both improvisational architectures and the playful non-conformities of youth, as well as Mildura’s sculptural history. Scaled to the proportions of the gallery, the ramps operate simultaneously as functional structures and sculptural forms. Upon entering, sound starts taking hold of our attention, it binds the metallic drag of a chain to the rolling cadence of a skateboard. Movement and restraint unfold through the gallery: the weight of metal, the gliding of wheels, one representing inherited weight and control, the other carrying freedom, youth and survival. Without resolving into narrative, these elements register as fragments of ‘Uhila’s lived experience, navigating cultural responsibility while still pushing forward.

The proverb “the seed you sow, you will reap” resonates throughout the exhibition and across materials, actions, and reciprocity. In Mildura’s orchards, the phrase holds literal meaning; in ‘Uhila’s practice, it becomes a philosophy of care, persistence, and transformation. The scent of citrus and the rhythm of wheels on concrete reverberate in the space, recalling a history carried forward. Koe tenga tete to tete utu pe koia is an invitation into an intimate moment of growing up, where memory, labour, resilience and tenderness intertwine, reflecting how the seeds of our past continue to bear fruit in unexpected ways.

Presented in partnership with UNSW Galleries, Bidjigal/Gadigal Country, Sydney, Australia, and in association with Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2026.

This exhibition is made possible with generous support of the Chartwell Trust, and the Te Uru Benefactors Collective, T.B.C..

Curated by Anja Lückenkemper.