Telly Tuita, Twin Figure of Janus - Tongpop Nostalgia II, 2025. Mixed media on canvas and MDF, 980 x 1420mm
Photo Credit
Tongpop Fervour ignites the emotional extremes that define Telly Tuita’s practice — devotion and defiance, longing and rupture — within the chromatic intensity of his self-defined visual language. Drawing from personal history, cultural symbolism, and the spiritual architectures of his upbringing, Tuita channels a fervent energy that is both sacred and insurgent.
This body of work builds upon the Tongpop aesthetic—a vibrant fusion of Tongan heritage, Christian iconography, and global pop references—yet pivots toward the intensity of fervour as both spiritual heat and emotional combustion. Tuita’s figures, often adorned and enshrined, are rendered with theatrical precision. Patterns repeat like liturgy, colours clash like protest, and every surface shimmers with urgency.
In Tongpop Fervour, love and war are not opposing forces but coexisting currents—fuelled by memory, exile, belief, and desire. The works evoke ritual, but they also disrupt it. They celebrate identity while acknowledging its fractures. They are offerings, confrontations, and survival chants rendered in paint, photography, and collage.
Tuita’s vision is uncompromising. In this realm, fervour is a political and personal condition—performed with maximalist resolve and unrelenting clarity. Tongpop Fervour is not a retreat from complexity; it is a radiant reckoning.
Opening Hours
- Monday - Friday: 10am-4pm
- Saturday: 10am-12pm or by appointment, courtesy transport available
Address
- Bergman Gallery, Rarotonga
- Beachcomber Courtyard, Taputapuatea
- P.O Box 91
- Avarua, Rarotonga
- Cook Islands
Tongpop Fervour ignites the emotional extremes that define Telly Tuita’s practice — devotion and defiance, longing and rupture — within the chromatic intensity of his self-defined visual language. Drawing from personal history, cultural symbolism, and the spiritual architectures of his upbringing, Tuita channels a fervent energy that is both sacred and insurgent.
This body of work builds upon the Tongpop aesthetic—a vibrant fusion of Tongan heritage, Christian iconography, and global pop references—yet pivots toward the intensity of fervour as both spiritual heat and emotional combustion. Tuita’s figures, often adorned and enshrined, are rendered with theatrical precision. Patterns repeat like liturgy, colours clash like protest, and every surface shimmers with urgency.
In Tongpop Fervour, love and war are not opposing forces but coexisting currents—fuelled by memory, exile, belief, and desire. The works evoke ritual, but they also disrupt it. They celebrate identity while acknowledging its fractures. They are offerings, confrontations, and survival chants rendered in paint, photography, and collage.
Tuita’s vision is uncompromising. In this realm, fervour is a political and personal condition—performed with maximalist resolve and unrelenting clarity. Tongpop Fervour is not a retreat from complexity; it is a radiant reckoning.
