The Samoan word Fa‘aaliga signifies revelation—an unveiling of insight, perspective, and truth. This exhibition brings together seven contemporary Pacific artists—Iokapeta Magele-Suamasi, Sean Hill, Raymond Sagapolutele, Siliga David Setoga, Sefton Rani, Telly Tuita, and Benjamin Work—each of whom, through painting, sculpture, and photography, engages in the act of revealing. Their works do not merely present images or objects; they challenge the audience to look deeper, to uncover personal, cultural, and political narratives embedded within each piece.
For Iokapeta Magele-Suamasi, the act of revealing is linked to the intersections of language, history, and material culture. Her work considers how visual storytelling can preserve and challenge indigenous knowledge systems. Sean Hill explores contemporary identity, his bold abstraction and sculpture reflecting the shifting dynamics of Pacific life in Aotearoa. Raymond Sagapolutele captures the complexities of diasporic experience through lens-based storytelling, using photography as a means of witnessing and documenting cultural resilience.
Siliga David Setoga employs satire and bold iconography to expose whitewashed colonial histories and the politics of representation, while Sefton Rani reclaims industrial and found materials to reveal the beauty and tension within everyday diasporic Pacific realities. Telly Tuita constructs a vibrant visual mythology where global and indigenous symbols collide, reflecting the layered nature of identity formation. Benjamin Work draws on the ancestral wisdom embedded in Tongan iconography, repositioning ancient motifs and historical narrative within contemporary discourse.
Fa‘aaliga is an invitation to see beyond the surface, to engage with the artists, and the stories and revelations woven into each work.
