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Raymond Sagapolutele New Zealand | Samoa, b. 1971
Tala Mo'i, is it the truth?, 2021
Digital c-type print
38 1/4 x 25 5/8 in
97 x 65 cm
97 x 65 cm
Edition of 3 plus 2 artists proofs
Tala Mo’i is the phrase used by young Samoans when demanding to know if the story they were being told was legitimate. The artists nephew Payton embodies the phrase in...
Tala Mo’i is the phrase used by young Samoans when demanding to know if the story they were being told was legitimate. The artists nephew Payton embodies the phrase in this image, framing the request with a no-nonsense stare and the posturing of the great Samoan wrestlers and boxers of the 70s & 80s. While this image embodies a sense of nostalgia, its universal message is impossible to ignore in this age of transparent obfuscation and ‘alternative facts’ reported in 24/7 news cycles, where the truth is disposed of in favour of political and social agenda.