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
Our Fundraising Target 18 May 2026
We are now more determined than ever that this project is going to happen, thanks to the incredible support we’ve already received from our beautiful co-commissioning partners and generous donors.
Over the past few months, the scale and ambition of the work has become even clearer, along with the real costs required to deliver it at the level this international opportunity deserves. We now have a much more defined fundraising target to ensure the work can fully realise its vision and make the journey to Venice.
As a result, we’ve updated both our fundraising goal and our campaign timeline, extending the deadline to give us the best possible chance of reaching this final stretch sustainably and properly.
Every contribution so far has brought us closer. Your support is helping carry a major work from Aotearoa onto one of the world’s most significant contemporary arts stages, and we’re deeply grateful to have you alongside us as we continue toward the finish line.
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