T-shirt (Bungaz n the hood)

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries T-shirts are a most accessible and widely worn form of clothing. They may appear to be ordinary everyday garments, seemingly insignificant in the regions material culture. However, T- shirts and the images on them often lay claim to culture, imagination, history and places. They are an inexpensive and mass-produced form of clothing often used by artists like a canvas, to promote their causes, ideas and identities.

Significance

This T-shirt was made by artist Siliga David Setoga of POPOHARDWEAR, a clothing company based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is printed with the logo 'BUNGAZ N THE HOOD, Homage To Ponsonby And Grey Lynn The Original Fob Mecca'. This T-shirt acknowledges the significance of place in the history of Pacific communities now residing in New Zealand. It makes reference to the 1950s, 60s and 70s when many people from the wider Pacific migrated to New Zealand for work opportunities and lived predominantly in the now affluent neighbourhoods of Ponsonby and Grey Lynn in Auckland. While there are a few families still residing in these suburbs, many are now residing in the outer suburbs, in South, West and East Auckland.

The words “BUNGAZ N THE HOOD” is a reference to the 1991 Hollywood film “Boyz in the Hood” directed by John Singleton about a group of teenage African- American friends growing up in a poor neighbourhood in Los Angeles.

Setoga has played with other historical icons, moments, and stereotypes about Pacific peoples in his long established range of t-shirts. By reworking these subjects in often humorous ways, Setoga turns them into statements of pride and identity.

Acquisition History

Setoga is of Samoan descent. His t-shirts and installation art has been exhibited widely in art galleries and museums. This t-shirt is one of several purchased from him in 2007.