Manino is the Samoan term for ‘revelation’ or ‘making visible something that was once hidden.’ This exhibition marks the beginning of Christopher’s journey into the intersection of spirituality and artistic practice. The intersection is both confrontational and hopeful, reflecting the artist’s efforts to untangle these themes.

Included in the exhibition is a single-channel work, West I (2024)—part one of a larger series of 17 works (and growing), developed during a residency at Tylee Cottage in 2023.

West I highlights the artist’s fascination with the symbiotic relationships between ātua and place. Christopher, along with his cast and crew, constructed props that serve as instruments to capture spirits.

The two-channel projection Hidden Amongst Clouds (2021), initially commissioned by Gus Fisher Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau, was inspired by Christopher’s fascination with the supernatural as a cinematic genre. It brings together elements of angst, assimilation, mythology, pop culture, and the end of the world.

Both works extend beyond art, engaging with broader cultural, spiritual, and environmental themes. Manino is paradoxical, suggesting that by locating and identifying things you cannot see, you lose the very essence of being mortal.