TONGAN STYLE!

Otara's Fresh Gallery held a fine exhibition of five Tongan-born, New Zealand-based women artists. These five distinctive Tongan artist have contributed all there hard work and labour to making a embroidery and crochet pieces all handmade. They helped to bring there unique Tongan style from the small islands of Tonga into the shores of Aotearoa New Zealand. Each piece which was displayed up on the gallery embodiment hard work and effort of labour, and it is within the Tongan background and in there tradition, that they represent their cultural wealth in the form of bed sheets and pollowcases, outfits for church and funerary decortions.
When i was young growing up i always use to see my grandma sew and do crochet, which looked pretty boring to me, but pretty interesting in a way look tongan works of art to view these fine works and also to find that some of the embroidery patterns has their very own meaning to it. if i clearly remember what Ema Tavola (the coordinator at the fresh gallery) quoted that one of the pieces in patterns reperesented an image of a bat taking flight which was also significant to the the Tongan culture, in which thought was pretty cool. As i actually look at some of the piece in the gallery i noticed alot of various kinds of materials used and fabrics seen in there practice, i saw feather, plastic bead and shell. Especially in one of the church outfits i saw "Tefisi Style" which in the women in the Tonga used it to distunguish their position and statue at birthdays, churches and at weddings. Overall i thought this was a great exhibition where we got to acknowledge the tongan artists and all there works of art. I myself also coming from a pacific island heritage from the heart of the pacific known as Samoa, greatfully admire the fine work of my fellow-neighbours Tonga.

response to Justin

In the article My Top Ten by Justin Paton, he points of each of his 10 favourite paintings and then goes on to describe each paint a lot of detail. When I say a lot of detail, I mean he goes into stuff about brush technique, lighting, shadow and stuff like that. The amount of detail that he has put into writing about his 10 favourite paintings really shows how much he is inspired and loves these paintings. It’s like through his descriptions of the paintings; he’s trying to form some kind of bond or trust between the himself, the paintings and the reader.His writing style is kind of like reading a story book, he creates this world in which the reader can visualise without looking at the paintings and kind of get lost in them at the same. Cause when read novels I like it best when you’re able to fully sink into the world in which the writer has created and completely forget that you’re not really a part of the action. So although this guy is talking about his 10 favourite paintings, I liked reading it and his style of writing because it was easy to read. It wasn’t using heaps of overly descriptive words or trying to confuse you by making you think about heaps of different paintings at once. But at the same time he was using enough detail; that when I close my eyes I feel like I can see the paintings right in front of me. He’s created a piece of writing that even if you didn’t like reading articles about art; you can read without feeling like you’re missing out on something. So I really enjoyed this article, I know others in the class who didn’t enjoy it as much as I did, but I think they were missing out if they didn’t like it.

4 things that inspire me and my work in visual art

Hip hop -Since first emerging in the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread around the world is a cultural movement that started in the working class suburbs of New York City, in the late 1970s. It can be outlined with the five pillars of hip-hop culture: MCing, DJing, Breaking, Graffiti writing, and knowledge. Another part of Hip Hop Culture includes beat boxing, hip hop fashion, hip hop fashion, and slang. I guess I’m drawn to Hip Hop culture cause I’ve grown up with a mixture Samoan, western and popular music. It’s a huge influence on me as a person, because music (for me) is a release. It lets me express myself physically and emotionally. When I’m dancing, it’s like I’m apart of something else. Something that is bigger than me, which I can contribute to and make friends with. Hip Hop culture is a global.

Samoan Tattooing- The Pe'a is the popular name of the traditional male tattoo of Samoa; the Pe’a covers the body from waist to knees. The process for the Pe’a is extremely painful, and undertaken by Tufuga ta tatau (master tattooists), using handmade tools of bone, tusks, turtle shell and wood. The Tufuga ta tatau are revered masters in Samoan society. In Samoan custom, a Pe’a is only done the traditional way, with aspects of cultural ceremony and ritual, and not with European tools or needles. The Pe’a can take less than a week to complete or in some cases, years. The tattoo starts on the back and finishes on the belly button. Overall, the design is symmetrical with a pattern consisting mainly of straight lines and larger blocks of dark cover, usually around the thighs. Samoan males with a Pe’a are called soga'imiti and are respected for their courage. This is my heritage and my culture; I guess I’m drawn to it because it’s like a step into being an adult or like a man in my culture. So it’s something that I see myself doing when I get older, you know like taking the step into being seen as a man by my family.

Michael Joseph Jackson- (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actor, choreographer, businessman, philanthropist and record producer. He was known as the King of Pop, he is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time while also being regarded as one of the most influential people in the world. His contributions to music, dance and fashion and a much-publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture popular for over four decades. As a dancer, Michael Jackson (for me) is the greatest entertainer of all time; he’s had hundreds of sold out concerts, made a difference and been an influence for millions. He’s gotten to a level that entertainers spend their entire life’s trying to achieve.

Andy Warhol- was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the art movement Pop Art. After a successful career as a illustrator, Warhol became famous worldwide for his work as a painter,filmmaker, record producer, author and as a public figure. I guess I like Andy Warhol because of his influence on Pop Culture, kinda like Michael jackon’s. Because he was able to change things and his use of colours is great. I like bold and bright colours, i dunno why i just am. Maybe its something thats carried on from being a small child but I like the contrast of the bold black outline against the bright colours in his prints.