A'aifou Potemani

“E lele le toloa, ae ma’au I le vai” is a Samoan proverb that I often heard while growing up. In translation; “The Pacific grey duck soars away, though it always returns to the water.” This metaphor refers to a person who migrates to various places but deep down will always remember where they came from, their culture and heritage. For me, it is about remembering my culture and the place and origins of my ancestors no matter where I go.

The title of this series “Fa’ailoga lou fa’asinomaga” translates to ‘mark your identity,’ and expresses my intentions, as a Pasifika artist to the wider community, to remember our roots, to reflect the way we do things in our everyday lives.  My cultural identity has always been a pillar and driving force in my art practice whether I knew it or not, through the process of mark making and thoughts whilst making. Foundational to my work is a consideration of the materials and processes that my ancestors used to create traditional art forms including Siapo (bark cloth), ‘Ie toga (fine mat), Siva (dance/performance art), Talatu’u (myths and legends), and Tatau (tattooing). These practices are all based in making processes that are bound and woven into the fibers of indigenous knowledge and storytelling, Talanoa (shared conversations, dialogues, and discussions); and passed from generation to generation. Over the past two years, I have explored lines that represent the lives of people, drawing on the notion ‘Fa’ailoga’ or expressivity in the movement and the form of the lines. My cultural identity as an artist of Samoan/Tongan heritage living in Aotearoa, empowers me to draw on traditional art forms such as siapo, and tatau which have deep connections and meaning from the past that is embedded in me.