Telly Tuita’s current suite of works delve into his childhood memories of Tonga. This triptych sets the stage for an operatic drama. One where biography, theatrical archetypes perform in a Ngatu latticed landscape. Four new characters are introduced to the audience: Carmen, Lucia, Norma and The Tormented Victim, played by a golden bodied Hikule’o. The series comes from Tuita’s childhood memories from Tonga of ‘hysterical’ women running through the village, claiming they were being tormented by a Tevolo on their shoulder/back.

Anthropologist and filmmaker, Michael Poltorak, notes that the term Tevolo resists translation and identification. Tevolo, often labelled as ghost, devil or spirit, speaks to the sensitive nature of mental illness in Tonga. Its origin stemmed through early missionary attempts to demonize various pre-Christain practices and deities. The concept can be interpreted as a way in which behaviour outside of usual expectations is explained or justified. Tuita’s practice is deeply personal and doesn’t shy away from expressing and exposing the shadow sides of his personality. The ’Tevolo (Ghost) series incorporates the three divas as direct comments on himself: Carmen the slut. Norma the fake, and Lucia the crazy.