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
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
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 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 Yellow Figure With Illi (Fan), 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
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: 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 - 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 - 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
An Uncommon Union, mixed media on paper, 210x155mm, 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, 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.