Samuel Tupou

Home and Away, 2006
Silkscreen print on acetate in perspex slip
78 x 51 cm.

Born in 1976, Samuel Tupou, with his New Zealand and Tongan heritage, uses patterns derived from traditional Tongan Tapa – or barkcloth – design, which he sets against the stylised images and wildly artifical colours of western Pop culture. Referring to this quest to explore his cultural identity, Tupou’s images have been described as ‘equal parts Tapa and Warhol’. In his words, ‘by incorporating Tapa motifs and designs into my artwork, I am not trying to re-create Tapa, or to tell of traditional histories and mythologies. I am instead referring to the symbology and format of Tapa designs to tell of new stories within a global context.’

© The artist. Tupou is represented by Jan Manton Art, Brisbane and the Melbourne Art Rooms, Melbourne