Telly Tuita Tongpop Cornucopia Photography, Sculpture, Paintings
July 23 – August 20, 2022 Auckland
Opening 2-5:30pm, Saturday 23 July, all welcome.
Speakers:
Jeremy Hansen, Marketing Project Manager, Britomart
Telly Tuita, Artist
For his exhibition Tongpop Cornucopia, artist Telly Tuita presents a suite of new work, amping up his trademark and unabashed use of colour, genre mutation & found materials.
He states “My history (personal and cultural) has experienced corresponding instances of love and hate, with villains and heroes both featuring equally – at times self-inflicting destruction, in turn prompting an uncanny skill for survival and renascence. Underneath all the razzle dazzle, I continue to push the capacity and complexity of my work, always telling a story, of us, of them, of it, of you and me, after all, isn’t it all autobiographical in the end?”
Tuita’s Tongpop universe is a compelling narrative, interconnecting and mashing different cultural myths and histories. Legends of foreign cultures intrigue him, they reflect stories of extreme human behaviour. His staged tableaux vivants are alive with allegorical hints.‘Dora the Explorer’ sits equally with the Greek gods, Artemis and Apollo, Superman wears a Tui Tonga crown, traditional European painted landscapes morph into Alien ngatu infused dreamscapes. The ancient Tongan ancestor/goddess figure Hikule‘o plays many roles in his practice, is omnipresent. The whole shooting match is dealt with in Tuita’s visual drama, family, culture, fictional and non-fictional figures, philosophy, gender, sex, orientation, war, consumerism, fashion, money, religion, politics and pop/mass culture experiences. He leaves a part of himself in every work, he states “art is way more fun than therapy.”
The artist relishes the challenge and power found materials give him. He identifies with objects that have been thrown away, consequentially, in Tuita’s story, nothing is discarded – preloved, rescued and collected objects/materials are treated with reverence, interwoven within his compositions and given a luxe finish. The natural is plasticised with shiny colour and a mirrorlike veneer, Tuita says “the plastic, just gets a facelift.”
The result is a Tongpop Cornucopia of over-abundance, presenting scenes where exchanges of ideas and materials create an engaging visual experience with a hint and wink of camp shenanigans. Telly Tuita’s first solo show with Bergman Gallery Auckland is the next chapter in his evolving Tongpop premise, a little bit country, a little bit rock n roll, a sprinkle of Maria Callas and a generous dash of Dolly Parton.
Welcome to the show.
Telly Tuita, Tongpop Übermensch 2, Mixed media on polyester lava lava, 1165mm x 1735mm, 2020.
Telly Tuita, Tongpop Übermensch 2, Mixed media on polyester lava lava, 1165mm x 1735mm, 2020.
Telly Tuita, Twin Figure: Artemis and Apollo, mixed media on yellow polyester lava lava, 1305mm x 975mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Twin Figure: Artemis and Apollo, mixed media on yellow polyester lava lava, 1305mm x 975mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Pulp Fiction: Graceful Three, acrylic, pastel, permanent marker, clear gloss on satin, 1500mm x 1355mm, 2021.
Telly Tuita, Pulp Fiction: Graceful Three, acrylic, pastel, permanent marker, clear gloss on satin, 1500mm x 1355mm, 2021.
Telly Tuita, Three Brothers self-portrait: Dawn, Day and Dusk 2022, mixed media on red polyester lava lava, 1305mm x 975mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Three Brothers self-portrait: Dawn, Day and Dusk, mixed media on red polyester lava lava, 1305mm x 975mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Blue Figure With 'Akau Tau (Warclub), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Green Figure With 'Akau Tau (Warclub), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Red Figure With Illi (Fan), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Red Figure With Illi (Fan), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Yellow Figure With Illi (Fan), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Yellow Figure With Illi (Fan), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diasporas Children - Seated Green Figure With Akau Tau (Warclub), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Seated Green Figure With 'Akau Tau (Warclub), digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, A Tongan Girl 1884, mixed media on cardboard, 785mm x 525mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, A Tongan Girl 1884, mixed media on cardboard, 785mm x 525mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, Samoan Man 1875, mixed media on cardboard, 785mm x 525mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, Samoan Man 1875, mixed media on cardboard, 785mm x 525mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, Twin Figure: Pink, acrylic, plastic hula skirt on canvas, 1430mm x 1105mm, 2021.
Telly Tuita, Twin Figure: Pink, acrylic, plastic hula skirt on canvas, 1430mm x 1105mm, 2021.
Telly Tuita, Twin Figure: Blue, acrylic, plastic hula skirt on canvas, 1430mm x 1105mm, 2021.
Telly Tuita, Twin Figure: Blue, acrylic, plastic hula skirt on canvas, 1430mm x 1105mm, 2021.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Yellow Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Yellow Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Red Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Red Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Blue Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Blue Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Green Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, Diaspora's Children - Green Mask Dancing, digital print on cotton rag, ed/8, 630x500mm, 2022.
Telly Tuita, The Queen, the Bride and the Hollywood Actress, mixed media on paper, 245mm x 330mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, The Queen, the Bride and the Hollywood Actress, mixed media on paper, 245mm x 330mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, An Uncommon Union, mixed media on paper, 210x155mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, An Uncommon Union, mixed media on paper, 210x155mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, The Immortal and the Gladiators, mixed media on paper, 210x150mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, The Immortal and the Gladiators, mixed media on paper, 210x150mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, Three Graces, mixed media on paper, 270x210mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, Three Graces, mixed media on paper, 270x210mm, 2019.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Telly Tuita, Tonpop Cornucopia, installation.
Ben Bergman, Telly Tuita.
Ben Bergman, Telly Tuita.
Ben Bergman, Angela Tiatia, Benny Chan, Telly Tuita.
Ben Bergman, Angela Tiatia, Benny Chan, Telly Tuita.
Artists Raymond Sagapolutele, Benjamin Work, Telly Tuita, Sylvia Marsters, Tabatha Forbes.
Artists Raymond Sagapolutele, Benjamin Work, Telly Tuita, Sylvia Marsters, Tabatha Forbes.
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