Sisters unite their beautiful ‘superpowers’
Brown and Beautiful was the theme of the night for a new photo exhibition launched by dance superstar Parris Goebel and her sisters.
A huge crowd turned out in Auckland celebrating sisterhood, love and encouragement for young Māori and Pasifika women.
The event was put on by Sisters United NZ, an organisation established by Goebel and her sisters, Kendal Collins and Narelle Ngaluafe, to run mentoring programmes using performing and creative arts.
Photographer Veronika Gulyaeva’s images show portraits of nine Māori and Pacific Island young women linked to the programmes.
Brett Goebel, father of the group’s founders, said it was great to watch the parents’ reaction to the photos. “Their parents’ look on their faces, saying: ‘Wow, is that my daughter?’ “That was the most touching thing of the evening — just the pride of self and the girls, really, for their self-love and just knowing that they’re important is so cool. It was amazing.” The exhibition, launched on Friday, will be showcased through billboards around Auckland.
“I’m sure the girls will drive all their families and relatives to go have a look.” Goebel said he was a very proud father — happy that his daughters had come together to do something for other young women. “Usually everyone’s just interested in Parris,” he said, laughing.
“This is combining their superpowers together, so it’s pretty cool.”