Oli Mathiesen Venice Biennale Danza 2026
Support Oli Mathiesen to develop a groundbreaking Aotearoa dance work for Venice Biennale Danza 2026.
Auckland
Award-winning choreographer and dancer Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu) is creating a bold new performance, ‘Just Between Me and Jesus’, with seven incredible dancers trained in Aotearoa. This immersive work explores faith, queerness, and ritual through movement, music, and storytelling - a vibrant collision of club culture and Catholic imagery that celebrates community, liberation, and human expression.
The performance has been commissioned for Venice Biennale Danza 2026, one of the world’s most prestigious dance platforms, offering an unprecedented opportunity to showcase Aotearoa’s creativity on the international stage.
To make this ambitious project possible, Oli is raising funds to ensure that every dancer and collaborator is supported. Your donations will be used to cover artist fees, rehearsal costs, and production development - including costumes, technical support, and other essentials to bring the work to life. Any additional contributions help ensure that the project meets international standards and fully represents the talent and energy of Aotearoa.
By donating, you’re directly supporting a team of Aotearoa artists to create work that will travel globally and make our voices heard. Every contribution is an investment in creativity, community, and the next generation of contemporary dance.
Help us take this performance from Aotearoa to Venice - together, we can make it happen.
About us
Supporting LGBTQIA+ artists, Auckland Pride funds creative projects, rehearsals, and performances, helping diverse voices from Aotearoa shine on national and international stages.
Use of funds
Funds will support rehearsals, artist fees, and production development for ‘Just Between Me and Jesus’, preparing it for international presentation.
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Latest update
Let's keep going! 17 July 2026
As we prepare to board our flights tomorrow, we've decided to keep the momentum going and give our team the opportunity to share our journey from Venice with you all.
To celebrate this incredible next chapter, we're extending our fundraising campaign for one more week. This gives everyone one last chance to be part of bringing Just Between Me & Jesus to the world stage at the Venice Biennale.
Thank you so much for the incredible support, generosity, and aroha you've shown us throughout this journey. It truly means the world to our whole team.
Tomorrow we take off… next stop: Venice! 🇮🇹✨
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