McDonald grew up in Lower Hutt in the 1950s. His photographs record vestiges of a particular set of social values, but remain persistently subjective. Recent subjects include interiors of 'opp' shops; 'relocated' houses; and sections denuded of housing. For Amituanai McDonald he presents photographs of another aspect of the New Zealand street fast disappearing - small retail premises vulnerable to the imposition of global shopping.
Amituanai was born in 1980 and brought up in West Auckland by Samoan parents who settled in Christchurch. Her photographs work across the portrait/interior divide and typically traverse the idea of home. 2007 portraits of France-based New Zealand Samoan rugby players convey both exotic status and estrangement. Amituanai has photographed homes of relatives in Christchurch, Samoa and Alaska. For this exhibition she draws on the experiences of entering the real estate market for the first time and resettling a Chin refugee family in Auckland.
