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Welcome

Learning Experiences Outside the ClassromTe Tuhi Centre for the Arts

Phone: (09) 577 0138 ext 7703jeremy@tetuhi.org.nz

Jeremy Leatinu’uEducation Coordinator

Stories from the PacificTe Tuhi Pre visit lesson 2

Welcome to Stories from the Pacific

During this lesson we will learn about…

Inspired by tapaBut before we start, let’s recap on what we learnt during our last lesson…

is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. The bark is beaten until soft, left to dry, then later decorated using a rubbing tablet and dye.

design differs between Pacific cultures. They are sometimes different in how the tapa is made, what symbols or colours are used and how they are arranged on the tapa cloth.

is an important part of Pacific culture, tradition and heritage. Tapa is used as clothing, costume, masks, bed coverings, to decorate walls, floors and ceilings, to help celebrate birthdays and weddings and to honour guests.

During our last lesson we learnt that Polynesian tapa…

Let’s start this lesson by exploring ‘Inspired by tapa’.

Image:http://www.tautai.org/sopolemalama-filipe-tohi/

During our last lesson we saw many examples of Polynesian tapa.

During this lesson we will see how tapa inspires famous Pacific artists and their art.

Image: Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

Image:Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.http://www.internationalartcentre.co.nz/auctions/auctionEnlarge.lsd?a=201009&p=28http://artsonline2.tki.org.nz/resources/units/music_units/symbol_2_sound/images.php http://cpitlibrary.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/last-chance-to-see-samoan-artworks/ http://nzprintmakers.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/fatu-feuu-14-23march-christchurch.html http://www.clker.com/clipart-samoa-tatau-1.html http://www.art-newzealand.com/Issue111/fatu.htm

Fatu Feu’u

Fatu Feu’u is a Samoan artist who is regarded as one of the first contemporary Pacific artists in New Zealand.

Like siapo Fatu often uses a grid to map out his paintings as well as familiar symbols found in siapo and tatau (Samaon tattoo) . He also uses earthy colours as seen in siapo, such as yellow and orange ochres and brown and black.

The way Siapo and tatau help tell stories has helped Fatu tell his own stories about his life experiences and the things that are important to him.

For Fatu his painted flowers, fish, human figures, masks and other symbols and patterns reflect his culture, his journey from Samoa to NZ, his ancestors and his religion.

John Pule

Image:Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/culture-identity-heritage/primary-sources/gallery/kermadecs/tomorrow-we-leave-john-pule-2011 http://byronic.tumblr.com/post/19812051133/take-these-walls-with-you-when-you-leave-by-john http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2407844.The_Shark_that_Ate_the_Sun http://nga.gov.au/islands/details/9869.cfmhttps://www.thearts.co.nz/artist_page.php?aid=47

John Pule is a Nuiean painter, writer and poet. He is very well known in New Zealand and around the world for his hiapo inspired paintings.

Like hiapo John also uses grids and circular arrangements. The colours he paints with also reflect colours used in hiapo or other Pacific tapa

In our last lesson we learnt that a lot of tapa artists draw symbols that reflect the land and sea – plants, leaves, birds and insects

For John the symbols he paints reflect his memories of moving from Nuie to New Zealand as a boy. When we look at his paintings each symbol, each box is perhaps a scene in the story of his life.

Image:Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.http://www.pasifikastyles.org.uk/artists/ani-oneill.php http://johncharlesdavies.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/rarotonga-tivaevae-2/ http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/imagepopup.aspx?width=640&height=640&irn=28555&mode=zoom&title=Star+by+night&ack= http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/challengingcraft/ChallengingCraft/papers/deborahcrowe/dcrowebig/dcrowebig18.htm http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=382515188470843&set=a.369153556473673.96082.338075259581503&type=3&theater

Ani O’Neill

Ani O’Neill was born in NZ and is of Cook Island heritage. Ani’s Cook lsland heritage plays a huge role in her artworks, which often incorporate Polynesian weaving and tivaevae (quilt making).

Like tapa, tivaevae also includes pattern, imagery, symmetry and arrangement. Such elements can be seen in Ani’s artworks which include sharing the skill of stitching with others, a skill Ani was taught by her grandmother and family friends.

Artworks like ‘Star By Night’ pays tribute to the ancestors of the Pacific and their skills in using the stars in the sky to navigate their way to NZ.Although Ani’s artworks are influenced more by weaving and tivaevae we can see some connection to Polynesian tapa.

Siapo vala

Image:Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.http://www.grahamfletcher.co.nz/ http://www.artrecord.com/index.cfm/artist/4643-fletcher-graham/medium/1-paintings/ http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=371687286220300&set=a.369153556473673.96082.338075259581503&type=3&theater

Graham Fletcher

Graham Fletcher was born in NZ and is of Samoan heritage. Graham’s paintings are influenced by his Samoan heritage and historic events that have taken place in the Pacific.

Between 1997-2000 Graham created paintings that were not only inspired by tapa but also used actual tapa cloth.

Graham wanted to change the look of tapa into something you would find in a science lab by painting the tapa black and white. Paintings like this reflect a period of time when many Pacific people fell seriously ill from foreign arrivals.

Flowers are common symbols we see in Polynesian tapa. For Graham and his paintings, flowers such as frangipani are not only part of tapa design, but have also become a representation of the Pacific.

Image:Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.http://www.artassociates.co.nz/artists/dagmar-dyck.aspx http://www.aasd.com.au/subscribers/number_by_medium.cfm?concat=DyckDagma&class=3&year=2007http://www.flagstaff.co.nz/news_views_detail.php?id=60 http://www.anthroposophie.net/bibliothek/kunst/malerei/mondrian/bib_mondrian.htm

Dagmar Dyck

Dagmar Dyck is a painter and printmaker of Tongan and German heritage. Identity and heritage as a Tongan German New Zealander inspires a lot of Dagmar’s art.

Dagmar’s paintings and prints use dark lines which frame each of her images, in the same way Ngatu (Tongan tapa) does with its symbols and pattern.

Through her art Dagmar not only represents cultural objects that were once drawn by foreign travelers, but also makes connections to notions of community, history and ancestry.

The framing and selection of colours are very similar to the paintings of German painter Piet Mondrian. With Piet Mondrain and the making of Ngatu, Dagmar makes connections with artists from both her Tongan and German heritage.

Painting by Piet Mondrian

Image:Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.http://urban-kupesi-tattoos.blogspot.co.nz/2011/02/artist-loa-toetuu-solo-exhibition.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/colourmefiji/324660619/

Ahota’ei’loa Toetu’u

Ahota’ei’loa Toetu’u is a painter of Tongan heritage and finds many inspirations for his art from his Tongan culture and upbringing.

Ahota’ei’loa’s paintings on canvas explore the theories and stories behind the Tongan visual language of ngatu (Tongan tapa). This can be seen instantly by the shapes, patterns and symbols Ahota’ei’loa has created in his paintings.

His selection of bright colours in some paintings however, are very different to the colours used in ngatu. The use of bright colours have been said to represent how the Pacific culture is portrayed to the world.

For Ahota’ei’loa it was about creating his own kupesi (Tongan rubbing tablet), geometric grid, the Christian cross and other personal symbols and connections to ngatu, to tell his story of life experiences and influences from a Tongan perspective.

In this particular painting the use of black influenced by ngatu ‘uli, a black bark cloth worn during funerals.

Let’s recap on what we have learnt so far…As we have seen, Polynesian tapa inspires many

artists in different ways to tell their story…

Polynesian tapa…

Inspires artists to create their own symbols and patterns to tell their individual stories and life experiences.

Inspires artists to create art that expresses the importance of culture, community, history and ancestry.

Inspires artists to create art that highlights true stories and significant events in history that are just as important today as when they first happened.

What have we learnt so far?

In the next lesson we will explore ‘Designing our story - Symbols’.

End of lesson