For a few weeks in January, the ‘Thirsty Mile’ on Sydney’s harbour was a riot of colour and Tongan iconography. It was the work of Tongan Australian artist Telly Tuita, who brought his captivating show ‘The Tā and Vā of Tongpop’ to the Sydney Festival.
The man behind the marvels
Born 1980 in Tonga, Tuita’s early life was shaped by the shifting tides of personal challenges and cultural change. “I was born in Tonga and sent to Australia in 1989,” he tells Islands Business. The move certainly opened a new world to the 9-year-old, a world bigger than the villages in his homeland, and a world in which he has now practiced his craft for over 20 years.
But as is the case for so many artists, while art may feed the soul, one needs a day job to feed the stomach. “I was a teacher in Sydney for 15 years,” Tuita reflects. “I went and studied fine arts when I left high school in Sydney, but I didn’t pursue it after. “I was sort of working class, I suppose you could say. So, I didn’t really grow up with artists or, you know, really even art itself in that career sense. I was encouraged by my uncle and auntie who adopted me. I call them mum and dad. But also, because I wanted to live in Sydney and, you know, I couldn’t afford to live in Sydney if I was practicing art full-time as a 20-year-old,” he said.
Tuita taught art for several years before deciding to shift gear and retrain in a different field of education. “I went back to Sydney University and did a master’s in special education,” he recalls. “I worked with children with behavioural issues, autism, and intellectual disabilities. I was even a deputy principal at a behavioural school. “I’ve had some students who are now working professionally in the art world,” he said, “whether it’s teachers, administrators or an artist even. So, it’s cool, you know, seeing that happen for the next generation of artists.”
The boy who needed to express himself
Despite his success as an educator, Tuita’s passion for art remained. “I’ve always made art, even as a kid,” he shared. When prompted to share his earliest memory of creating art resembling his current work, Tuita said: “Honestly, I superglued all these cars on top of each other, my toy cars. That was pretty weird and arty, not realising at the time that it was. I remember that.” The culture shock for that little boy perhaps subtly fed the need for a creative outlet when he moved to Sydney. “I didn’t go to school in Tonga, really. So, it wasn’t really until I got to Australia in ‘89 that I started school, when I was suddenly in year three, I suppose. And I didn’t speak English. So, for me, it was not really about learning the classes at school, it was learning the freaking language. “I think that the biggest thing that hit my consciousness, my eyes, when I moved to Australia as a kid was colour,” he recalls. “And all these bright neon lights. It was going from Tonga where it was very different in the late 80s, there’s one TV in the village that people crowd around. It was a common story throughout Tonga.
“So, then you can imagine how it felt when I got to Australia – all the bright lights. I mean, my first meal in Sydney was KFC. I remember the white and red. And that’s also part of the reason why I found objects and natural materials when I first started, I’d always sort of made art with whatever I had around.”
The artist who brought the world Tongpop
After moving to Wellington, New Zealand, for a new relationship, Tuita made a pivotal decision: “It was around 2017 or 2018 when I decided to practice art full-time. No more teaching. I had to dedicate myself fully to my art.”
This decision led to the birth of his unique aesthetic: Tongpop. This term, which blends “Tonga” and “pop”, reflects Tuita’s deep connection to his roots and his love for pop art. “Tongpop didn’t come out of nowhere,” he explained. “It’s literally Tonga and pop. Tonga because I think in almost every artwork that I make, there’s always a little love letter to Tonga, you know. And then pop just because pop art is how I
started to love art as a teenager,” Tuita says of his style.
For Tuita, this fusion symbolises the two sides of his identity. “It’s very representative of me. I always feel like there’s two sides to me. There’s the Tonga and the pop and it’s literally that, you know, the little boy that was there in Tonga and then the me here now,” he said.
At the Sydney Festival, Tuita dressed the historic SS John Oxley steamship in ta’ovala manafau (dancing skirt) and kiekie (waist ornament), as well as flags, ribbons and fabric. Inside historic wharfside buildings, he created glittered, fluttering installations and video montages. Another area housed a children’s interactive space where kids could wind their way through ten rooms populated by building blocks,
swings and woven playgrounds: spaces created by Tuita and public art experts, Amigo & Amigo.
“Art is my way of expressing the complexities of my cultural identity,” Tuita emphasised. “I draw inspiration from the Pacific patterns I grew up with, and I want my work to resonate with others, both locally and internationally.” The appeal of Tuita’s Tongpop style is the meeting of bright colour, found materials, glamour, Tongan symbolism, and the whimsy of childhood; the coming together of two cultural
spheres will strike the heart of any contemporary Pacific Islander who stands between two worlds.
From a young Tongan boy mesmerised by the lights of a city to an experienced practitioner sharing his identity through his craft, Telly Tuita’s journey as an artist continues before the proud eyes of the Pacific region.
