Fatu Feu'u
Encyclopedia
Fatu Akelei Feu'u, ONZM
(Born 1946) is a noted Samoan
painter.
Feu'u grew up in the village of Poutasi in the district of Falealili in Samoa.
Feu'u emigrated to New Zealand
in 1966. He has established a reputation as the elder statesman of Pacific art in New Zealand. Feu'u has been an exhibiting artist since the early 1980s and became a full-time artist in 1988.
Feu'u was appointed a Honorary Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit
in the 2001 New Years Honours List.
.
Feu'u was part of the major group exhibition Le Folauga: the past coming forward - Contemporary Pacific Art from Aotearoa New Zealand, at the Auckland Museum. Le Folauga later toured to Taiwan
and became the first exhibition of contemporary Pacific art from New Zealand to be shown in a major fine arts museum in Asia. Le Folauga opened at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
in Taiwan
from 13 December 2008 to 5 April 2009.
art forms such as siapo (tapa cloth
), tatau (tattoo
), weaving, carving and ceremonial mask making. In these forms he uses a rich lexicon of motifs and compositional structures. His works frequently blend traditional and contemporary elements, incorporating a range of influences, inspirations, techniques and motifs from Samoa and Aotearoa
and more generally from Euro-American to Pacific cultures.
is the unifying element of Feu'u's work. The term fa'asamoa is generally defined as 'the Samoan way'. The social structure of Samoan society is held together and actively maintained by an adherence to unwritten but understood cultural conventions embodied in fa'asamoa which binds family networks to traditional customs and ceremonies.
; Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington and Waikato Museum
of Art and History, Hamilton. His work is also included in an extensive number of private collections in New Zealand, Australia, United States of America, England, Holland, American Samoa, Samoa and Japan.
, multi-media artist Shigeyuki Kihara
and Michel Tuffery
.
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
(Born 1946) is a noted Samoan
Samoans
The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...
painter.
Feu'u grew up in the village of Poutasi in the district of Falealili in Samoa.
Feu'u emigrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1966. He has established a reputation as the elder statesman of Pacific art in New Zealand. Feu'u has been an exhibiting artist since the early 1980s and became a full-time artist in 1988.
Feu'u was appointed a Honorary Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
in the 2001 New Years Honours List.
Exhibitions
Feu'u has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in New Zealand and internationally with works in national and private collections world wide. He has exhibited in solo and major group exhibitions including Samoa Contemporary (2008) at the Pataka art gallery in PoriruaPorirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
.
Feu'u was part of the major group exhibition Le Folauga: the past coming forward - Contemporary Pacific Art from Aotearoa New Zealand, at the Auckland Museum. Le Folauga later toured to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and became the first exhibition of contemporary Pacific art from New Zealand to be shown in a major fine arts museum in Asia. Le Folauga opened at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts is located in Gushan District , the northwestern district of Kaohsiung City in Taiwan. It was founded by the Kaohsiung City Government and has been administrated by the Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs since 2003. It occupies about and started in 1994...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
from 13 December 2008 to 5 April 2009.
Artistic mediums
While primarily a painter, Feu'u explores a range of other mediums including bronze, wood and stone sculpture, pottery design, lithographs, woodcuts and glass works (both stained and etched).Polynesian influences
Feu'u's work is inspired by PolynesianPolynesian culture
Polynesian culture refers to the indigenous peoples' culture of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. Chronologically, the development of Polynesian culture can be divided into four different historical eras:...
art forms such as siapo (tapa cloth
Tapa cloth
Tapa cloth is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii...
), tatau (tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
), weaving, carving and ceremonial mask making. In these forms he uses a rich lexicon of motifs and compositional structures. His works frequently blend traditional and contemporary elements, incorporating a range of influences, inspirations, techniques and motifs from Samoa and Aotearoa
Aotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
and more generally from Euro-American to Pacific cultures.
Fa'asamoa
Fa'asamoaFa'asamoa
Fa'asamoa literally means the ways of Samoa. Fa'a is a Samoan prefix that can be translated to English as 'the ways of'. Fa'a could also mean 'to do' or 'to implement' as in the word Fa'atonu .-Concept:...
is the unifying element of Feu'u's work. The term fa'asamoa is generally defined as 'the Samoan way'. The social structure of Samoan society is held together and actively maintained by an adherence to unwritten but understood cultural conventions embodied in fa'asamoa which binds family networks to traditional customs and ceremonies.
Collections
Feu'u's work is included in a number of prestigious national and international collections including the National Gallery, Brisbane; Auckland Art GalleryAuckland Art Gallery
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand and has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand...
; Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington and Waikato Museum
Waikato Museum
The Waikato Museum is situated in the city of Hamilton, in the Waikato region of New Zealand.Previously called the Waikato Museum of Art and History, the full name has been shortened in recent years due to the incorporation Exscite, an interactive science centre, and the emphasis on Tangata Whenua...
of Art and History, Hamilton. His work is also included in an extensive number of private collections in New Zealand, Australia, United States of America, England, Holland, American Samoa, Samoa and Japan.
Tautai arts organisation
Tautai, an organisation of contemporary Pacific artists in New Zealand, was founded in the 1980s as an informal network from an initiative by Feu'u and artist friends. This group shared a goal of mutual support for the promotion of Pacific visual art artists, at a time when Pacific art was in the very early stages of recognition as a particular genre. In 2005, Tautai celebrated its 10th anniversary as a formalised organisation. Members include other established Pacific artists such as painter and sculptor Johnny PenisulaJohnny Penisula
Johnny Penisula MNZM is a contemporary Samoan stone sculptor and painter living in New Zealand.Penisula was born in Samoa and began painting when he was 13 years old. He moved to New Zealand in 1962 and set up home in Invercargill. He studied art at night classes and began exhibiting as a painter...
, multi-media artist Shigeyuki Kihara
Shigeyuki Kihara
Shigeyuki Kihara is a contemporary artist and the first New Zealander to hold a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Titled Shigeyuki Kihara: Living Photographs, the exhibition opened from 7 October 2008 to 1 February 2009...
and Michel Tuffery
Michel Tuffery
Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery, MNZM, is a New Zealand artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Island descent.He lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand...
.