Linda Va'aelua, Lagi Taimane I, acrylic on hessian, 730x2000mm, 2022
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Linda Va'aelua, Mauga IV, acrylic on hessian, 1200x800mm, 2022
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Alison Leauanae, Land of Promise III, cotton thread hand-stitched on paper, 660x530mm, 2023
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Alison Leauanae, Plaid Pua #109, cotton hand-stitched and woven on paper, 350 x 306mm, 2021
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Kindred speaks to the familial relationships and connections to ancestral homelands for sisters Linda Va’aelua and Alison Leauanae.
This body of work is an exploration of the artists’ mixed Samoan, Scottish and English heritage through abstracted motif, telling stories of migration and navigation from origins across oceans to promised lands of opportunity and prosperity. Each artist individually explores these connections through cultural identifiers in various forms and how these inform their unique cultural identity in Aoteaora New Zealand.
The materiality of the works is evident through the use of non-traditional materials in the artists’ practice such as Va’aelua’s paint and wool on hessian, and Leauanae’s thread stitched into paper. Their contrasting styles provide an interesting narrative about journeys that have a shared history, but with unique perspectives…a powerful image of what it is to be kindred.
Kindred speaks to the familial relationships and connections to ancestral homelands for sisters Linda Va’aelua and Alison Leauanae.
This body of work is an exploration of the artists’ mixed Samoan, Scottish and English heritage through abstracted motif, telling stories of migration and navigation from origins across oceans to promised lands of opportunity and prosperity. Each artist individually explores these connections through cultural identifiers in various forms and how these inform their unique cultural identity in Aoteaora New Zealand.
The materiality of the works is evident through the use of non-traditional materials in the artists’ practice such as Va’aelua’s paint and wool on hessian, and Leauanae’s thread stitched into paper. Their contrasting styles provide an interesting narrative about journeys that have a shared history, but with unique perspectives…a powerful image of what it is to be kindred.
