Edith Amituanai

Edith Amituanai (born 1980) is a New Zealand photographic artist. In 2007, she was the inaugural recipient of the Marti Friedlander Photographic Award. Examples of her work are held in the collections of Te Papa, Auckland Art Gallery, and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

Biography Amituanai was born in Auckland in 1980 to parents who had emigrated from Samoa. She was raised in Christchurch and now is located in Ranui, West Auckland.

In 2005, Amituanai completed a Bachelor of Design at Unitec Institute of Technology. Her work was later included in the Lara Strongman book Contemporary New Zealand Photographers (2006), documenting her work as an emerging artist.

In 2015, Amituanai founded ETA (Edith's Talent Agency), an art project documenting the communities near her local suburb of Ranui.

Her artwork is held in the collections of Te Papa (the national museum of New Zealand), Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Amituanai's documentation of diaspora communities in West Auckland have been described as challenging the dominant myth that West Auckland is primarily a European area. Her work features aspects of both straight documentary photography and staged photography.

Personal life Amituanai got married in 2005. At the time, she was the first "Mrs Amituanai" in her husband's household for 14 years, after the untimely death of his mother. 2017 – Flaxmere's Kimi Ora Community School.

Exhibitions 2006 – Mrs Amituanai. RAMP Gallery, Waikato Institute of Technology, City Campus (Hamilton.) 2013 – Through the Key Hole. Collaboration with Claire Harris and Erwin Olaf. Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, Wellington. 2013–2014 – La fine del mondo, Auckland Art Gallery. Auckland. (Part of Freedom Farmers: New Zealand.) 2019 – Double Take. Survey exhibition. Adam Art Gallery, Wellington, Curated by Ane Tonga. 2021 – The Moon Was Talking, Collaboration with Kelston Girls College, Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery. Auckland. 2021 – ‘La’u Pele Moana (My darling Moana)’ series. QAGOMA's landmark exhibition series.The Gallery of Modern Art (Queensland Art Gallery). 2024 – Edith Amituanai and Sione Tuívailala Monū: Toloa Tales. Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna Waiwhetū.

Group exhibitions 2004 – Break/Shift, the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth 2021 – Time Drag Anna Miles Gallery, Auckland. 30 May – 3 July 2021. 2026-2027 – Slow Burn: Women and Photography | Ahi Tāmau: Māreikura Whakaahua. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington.

Awards 2007 – Marti Friedlander Photographic Award 2008 – Walters Prize finalist (first finalist of Pacific descent.)