Salamasina

In the early 1980s Fatu Feu‘u was encouraged by fellow painters Tony Fomison, Philip Clairmont and Pat Hanly to develop a new direction in his work that was deeply grounded in Sāmoan history and fa‘a Sāmoa (the Sāmoan way).1 The vernacular visual language he created drew on forms from siapo (Sāmoan bark cloth) and tatau (tattoo) and depicted motifs such as the frangipani flower, gogo (the tern) and anufe (the caterpillar). Feu‘u also began using a number of personal symbols, including handprints, paddles and Lapita-inspired masks.2 Salamasina reflects this visual language. Its composition follows the grid-like structure of siapo and it is filled with an array of motifs that can be read as a visual narrative.

Fatu Feu‘u has described his paintings as va‘aomanu, or vessels of knowledge, that emphasise the importance of fa‘a Sāmoa.3 The title of this work refers to Sālamasina, a significant figure in Sāmoan history who rose to great power in the sixteenth century.4 She was given special powers by Nafanua (goddess of war) and eventually held all four paramount chiefly titles. Today, all of the chiefly gafa (genealogies) can be traced back to Sālamasina.5

Feu‘u retells and reinterprets this history using repeating motifs. The iconic frangipani symbolises a strong female presence, and is paired with mask-like forms representing spiritual ancestors. Interspersed throughout the work are stylised frigatebirds, a male symbol which represents journeys and the ongoing connection with the spiritual realm. Frigatebirds were also used as navigational aids to help steer the right course. The multiple meanings embedded in this work reflect the dual purpose of Feu‘u’s motifs: to convey narrative and to hold cultural knowledge.

Nina Tonga

1 Pandora Fulimalo Pereira and Sean Mallon, Speaking in colour: Conversations with artists of Pacific Island heritage, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 1991, p. 17.

2 Pandora Fulimalo Pereira, ‘Tala lasi Samoa: Fatu Feu‘u, painter of tales’, Art New Zealand, no. 111, Winter 2004, www.art-newzealand.com/Issue111/fatu.htm (accessed 18 January 2018).

3 Katherine Higgins, ‘About the artist’, Contemporary Pacific, vol. 27, no. 1, 2015, p. 37.

4 Malama Meleisea, Lagaga: A short history of Western Samoa, University of the South Pacific, Suva, 1987, pp. 31–2.

5 Ibid.

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This oil painting is an example of Fatu Feu'u's interest in Samoan history and customs. The title of the painting refers to a significant woman in ancient Samoa. Salamasina was connected to high-ranking chiefs, and rose to great power and influence in Samoan society. Eventually, she held the four paramount chiefly titles of Samoa at the same time. Today, many chiefly genealogies can be traced back to Salamasina.

Seeing siapo
In this painting, made early in his career, Feu'u builds on the grid-like structure of the siapo (decorated bark cloth) filling it with bold colour and motifs. As with Samoan tattooists and siapo makers, individuality and personal style are often revealed in the way that the artist fills these structures, drawing on and organising a rich array of motifs and symbols.

Bridging island and urban mainland
Salamasina illustrates the way that Feu'u reinterprets, and possible reclaims, stories and images of the past, bridging the ocean that lies between an island homeland and an urban present in New Zealand. Through paintings such as Salamasina, his art workshops in the Pacific Islands, and role as patron of the Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust based in Auckland, Feu'u has played a significant role in the development of contemporary art in the Pacific, and contemporary Pacific art in New Zealand.