A Seat at the Table

Born in 1946 in the village of Poutasi, Samoa, Feu’u moved to New Zealand in 1966 establishing himself as a prominent contemporary Pacific artist before founding Tautai in the 1980s. Feu’u’s work is influenced by Samoan culture, history, and traditions, blending motifs and techniques from siapo (bark cloth), tatau (tattooing), and other customary Pacific art forms with modernist styles. His multidisciplinary practice spans a number of mediums i.e., painting, sculpture, printmaking, and ceramics, characterised by bold vibrant colours and layered patterns. Feu’u’s art explores themes of identity, migration, and spirituality.

One work attributed to Feu’u’s legacy, and the theme of this year's Fale-ship exhibition, is his hand-carved table; sporting traditional Pacific designs such as pe'a (Samoan tattoo motifs). The hand-carved table defines Feu’u’s practice of honoring identity and traditional craftsmanship. Embracing themes of family, community, spirituality, and the vā (relational space that connects Pacific people, objects, and practices) central to Pacific cultures.

The entrance to Taefu’s moving image installation dons a baby gate, evoking the feeling of intimacy and formally introducing the viewer to Taefu’s worldview. A New Zealand-born Samoan artist based in Pōneke, Wellington, Taefu responds to the Fale-ship theme in his moving image install, titled My Feet Can’t Touch the Ground. Set within his own living room, the work captures Taefu navigating the everyday and operating within this space as a father. The moving image maintains boundaries, opening with a tender shot of Taefu and his son, transitioning to a scene where Taefu builds a fort. This is followed by a moment of silence as the pair go on a scenic walk. Striking a balance between openness and restraint, using a combination of close-ups and long-distance shots to frame these intimate moments, giving the viewer just enough insight into their everyday life without participating.

Documenting snippets of parenthood, Taefu captures a worldview specific to his self-identified experience; a duty to his family. A dialogue that is familiar and reminiscent of collectivism pertinent to a familial Pacific framework. El-Shadan Tautolo (2019) discerns,

"Pacific peoples live in extended families. The family is the centre of the community and way of life. Every person belongs to a family, aiga and kainga, and every family belongs to a person. This brings identity and belonging. Ancestry and a sense of place involve a kinship with what and who has gone before."

Born and raised in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, multidisciplinary Samoan artist Fatupaito calls on the simple and instantly recognisable pantry staple; corned beef. Fatupaito’s installation features two large-scale still-life acrylic on wood paintings. The first portrait, titled Palusami Wrapped in Tinfoil, depicts a tinfoil wrapped palusami (Samoan dish made with corned beef, coconut milk, and taro leaves) glimmering in chrome; imitating something sculptural, something titanium. The second, Lunch is Served, is a corned beef sandwich layered with fresh greens, red onion, and tomato slices, nestled between two thick slices of white bread. It sits on a wooden board, accompanied by an open can of corned beef. The sheer scale, colour, and placement of both these portraits emit a feeling of grandeur making one almost forget that these portraits are depictions of corned beef. While I prefer my corned beef boiled in a thick, oily, and spicy broth of indomie noodles, Fatupaito’s work tempts my gaze and forces me to ponder on how I should enjoy corned beef.

Much like Taefu’s exploration of the everyday and Tautolo’s reflections on familial and cultural belonging within Pacific communities, Fatupaito formalises these notions through the use of food as subject matter, food specifically tied to social and cultural contexts within a Pacific framework. As Fatupaito (2024) states, “it’s a food [corned beef] that might literally appear on the table.” This sentiment underscores the role of corned beef as a point of dialogue, pulling Pacific worldviews together and building on a narrative that bridges the past with the present by identifying itself with corned beef.

Alternatively, Tekoronga-Waka, of Ngāpuhi, Tainui, Mangaian, and Maukean descent and Katoa; of Pakeha and Tongan heritage, identify as mvpfaff+ (an acronym for gender-diverse Pacific identities). Because of this they share a similar perspective in their responses to the Fale-ship theme, framing their work within a queer-Pacific lens and offering distinct yet complementary approaches.

Waka (2024) writes, “From the depths of the oceans, and into the sky, a majestic angel takes leap, aiming high.” Titled 8, Waka dedicates eight poems that pay homage to Pasifika and Māori trans entertainers, activists, politicians, artists, and performers who have come before her. Waka’s installation, imbued with a personal quality, feels akin to a diary entry, introspective and pondering on the edge of revealing something intimate. The accompanying stage and wooden stool signal to the viewer that 8 should be engaged as a performance, a theatrical gesture, likely informed by Waka’s experience as a stage and television actress. With the lens turned inward to celebrate her own transness in a reciprocal exchange that is strictly intended between poet and subject, excluding the viewer from becoming a voyeur. Waka’s way of perceiving herself in relation to, suggests that, like her predecessors, she too will forge her own path.

Katoa looks outward (literally), their installation—Cleansed, dons an actual window frame perked on a baby-blue backdrop; made from strips of painted cardboard, imitating wood cladding. The glass obscures a photographic image of Katoa wearing a white garb that is tactfully paired with an i (Tongan fan) and kiekie (ornamental Tongan girdle) which is also on display. Intertwining themes of visibility and obscurity, Katoa uses visual distortion to critique authenticity and becomes both the subject and critique of her own work. Cleansed defines a space that is queer and self-identified, which both Waka and Katoa operate from; showcasing their unique state of being takātapui, akava’ine, and fakaleitī. 8 and Cleansed depict an evolving negotiation with their positionality in relation to a particular space.

Similar to Katoa, Panikoula also utilises Tongan objects to explore liminality. Born and raised in Palmerston North and hailing from Ha’avakatolo, Kolovai, Kolomotu’a in Tonga, Panikoula uses kupesi (traditional Tongan stencil patterns) as a form of design activism. She specifically focuses on the manulua pattern, (a stencil pattern representing two pairs of bird wings), which she distorts, deconstructs, manipulates, and overlays to investigate its formal elements and explore a plethora of image making. Titled Under the Sun: Manulua, Panikoula (2024) states, “guided by what feels compelling to the eye.” Her use of colour plays a noticeable role in her process and the end result is a very camp and contemporary reimagination of traditional Tongan ngatu (Tongan cloth used primarily for ceremonial purposes). Employing digital tools such as cut-and-paste, adjusting, distorting, and overlaying. Panikoula engages in design activism that reimagines traditional patterns, challenging the idea of modernity in relation to traditional craftsmanship within a Tongan lens. Panikoula tests how often she can recreate patterns within patterns, transforming perceptions of the manulua as a traditional motif; interpreting the past into the present and creating new shapes, textures, and designs.

From Taefu’s intimate exploration of fatherhood and familial duty to Fatupaito’s playful yet incisive reimagining of food as a cultural signifier, A Seat at the Table underscores the many ways Pacific artists connect to their roots. Waka and Katoa explore their queer-Pacific perspectives, using their practices to critique, celebrate, and reimagine their place within the vā, highlighting the fluidity of identity and belonging. Panikoula’s design activism bridges tradition and modernity, honouring Tongan craftsmanship while embracing digital experimentation. Each artist presents a nuanced response to Feu’u’s legacy, drawing on their lived experiences to craft work that is both distinct and celebrational. Together, these artists not only honour Feu’u’s contributions but also fortify their own, making space at the table and further bearing the fruits of Pacific artistic excellence in Aotearoa.