F 1966 1983 Photo courtesy of Warwick Henderson Gallery 1980 1988 1995 2001 1988 50 independence in 2012 Fatu Feu u katherine higgins The art featured in this issue can be viewed in full color in the online versions. vii
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Nua Nua Poutasi, by Fatu Feu u, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 88 62 cm. Nua Nua Poutasi symbolizes hope and a promise of life after the devastation of the 2009 tsunami that destroyed any calamity comes the light of day as well as the rainbow, already understood as a sign of hope before the arrival of Christianity. The bird images represent the ancestral spirits who help in the time of rebuilding and rebirth of the village.
Talanoa, by Fatu Feu u, 2014. Acrylic on canvas, 102 102 cm. The structure and foundation of any family is communication and relationships Feu u considers this to include the Pacific environment and everything it encompasses. The kissing fish refer to this communication, working together not just from a family standpoint but uniting to protect our culture and cherished Pacific environment.
Matu Atua, by Fatu Feu u, 2011. Art print, edition of 45, 87 75 cm. These symbols are inspired by Samoan culture, specifically by migration, navigation, and seafaring. The motifs Feu u uses often have several different meanings or purposes; depending on its placement, each motif can assist or alter the way a story is told. For example, the red tuna represents the fisherman and his responsibility to provide food for his people. The fisherman is also the journey leader who knows which direction to take; he can thus initiate the journey. Another male symbol, the frigate bird, is associated with the spirit of ancestors. Frigate birds carried messages and helped navigators to steer the correct course.
Matagi (Eye of the Wind), by Fatu Feu u, 2010. Wood, seashells, and painted copper, 90 120 cm. The carved wood represents the form of a vaka (voyaging canoe), and the hand-lashed frame pays tribute to the stick charts used in the Marshall Islands to teach navigation. A painted copper panel represents a sail, and the blues represent the Pacific Ocean, crossed by various Pacific peoples in their migrations to Aotearoa/New Zealand from early times to the present.
Lapita Mulafanua, by Fatu Feu u, 2010. Woodcut on paper, edition of 40, 75 53 cm. This series of woodcuts was inspired by Lapita pottery, which was rediscovered in 1952 in New Caledonia. In 2003, representatives of all Islands where the pottery had been found met at the village of Kone, which is commonly referred to as Lapita, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the finding of the pottery there.
Aso Fanau (Birth Date), by Fatu Feu u, 2005. Oil on canvas, 222 303 cm. The phrase aso fanau refers to meaningful and formal discussions, a resolution to take action, and an agreement and firm resolve to come together in a time of need. This painting depicts a crisscross pattern on a grid, symbolizing the traditional process for building structures by hand with lashed beams. This large painting is also a metaphor 2009 tsunami. The message is to motivate those affected to move on and work to bring the villages back to life.
Ala Pika, by Fatu Feu u, 2005. Macrocarpa (Monterey cypress) and acrylic paint, approx 2.5 m high. The 2005 exhibition Ala Pika was based on lapika, the Samoan word for Lapita. (As a result of European contact and colonization, Samoan language changed. Among those changes, the sound of a k was replaced with a t. ) In addition, the word ala, which can refer to a track that you walk or a row, can also mean tracking or sailing by stars, and pika means culture.
Kaimi, by Fatu Feu u, 2005. Mixed media on canvas, approx 15 10 m. Feu u has explored and developed grid shapes and lattices as a foundation for his pictorial narratives. The introduction of primary colors such as yellow and red was in part inspired by early twentieth century lavalava (Samoan wraparound clothing) he saw in a New Zealand museum. Red and yellow are associated with chiefs, orators, and Samoan mythology. The symbols within the grid pattern the moon, stars, and fish refer to migration, navigation, and navigational tools used by Pacific seafarers.
Untitled, by Fatu Feu u, 2004. Macrocarpa (Monterey cypress) and oil paint, approx 4 m high. Feu u is a formidable sculptor as well as a painter, and he has worked in a variety of materials including stone, wood, bronze, and ceramic. His sculpture references traditional symbols, which he rearticulates in contemporary works by incorporating masks and frangipani. The sennit lashings incorporated into many carvings are made from coconut fiber and refer to traditional lashing practices. The shape of this sculpture is inspired by Rapanui moai (statues) that Feu u viewed when he visited Rapa Nui in 2004.