Telly Tuita returns with a new solo exhibition, The Tēvolo Made Me Do It, opening 5pm Thursday 3 October, all welcome.
Tuita's Tēvolo series is an intricate fusion of cultural symbolism, personal narrative and dramatic inspiration drawn from historical and contemporary opera divas and the Tongan Goddess Hikule'o.
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 Tēvolo on their shoulder/back.
Anthropologist and filmmaker, Michael Poltorak, notes that the term Tēvolo resists translation and identification. Tēvolo, 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-Christian practices and deities. The concept can be interpreted as a way in which behaviour outside of usual expectations is explained or justified.
Unlike traditional idealistic portrayals of Pacific fantasy, Tuita rejects the notion of showcasing only the positive facets of life. Carmen, Norma, and Lucia emerge as unapologetic embodiments of the artist, inviting the viewer to confront their own hidden complexities.
