'Uhila Nai is a multi-disciplinary artist, Auckland-born and raised in Pelehake Tonga, with genealogy connected to Tatakamotonga, Fua’amotu, and the island of Foa and Nomuka in Ha’apai.
‘Uhila graduated with her MVA (First Class Honours) from AUT, her practice focuses on the Tongan koloa tu’ufonua ‘oku ‘iloa ko ia koengatu mo e kupesi (collection of women’s wealth known as tapa cloth and embroidered stencil).
In her work, she explores kupesi, which belongs to the village of Pelehake, kupesi that holds and carries the history and story of her ancestors, attempting to trace back the origin of these most valuable koloa to the time of her great-grandmothers.