Telly Tuita Explained

Birth Place:Tonga
Known For:interdisciplinary art
Awards:2020 – Molly Morpeth Canaday Award
Telly Tuita
Nationality:Tonga, Australia, New Zealand
Style:Tongpop (Tongan pop)

Telly Bronson Tuita (born 1980, Tonga)[1] is an Australian and New Zealand interdisciplinary artist of Tongan descent notable for 2020 Molly Morpeth Canaday award for the work Three Graces – U'ufoasini, Akale'a, Ta'alea creating.[2] Later in 2021 becoming a finalist for the National Contemporary Art Award for work Diasporas Children Wellington.[3] Also notable for the creator of the fictional word 'Tongpop' defined as a combination of Tuita's adoration for dazzling, distinct hues and traditional 'Tongan ngatu patterns and religious iconography.'

Biography

Telly Tuita was born in 1980 in Tonga. At age nine, he migrated to Sydney, Australia, living in Australia for most of his life, now currently located in Wellington New Zealand. 1999–2003 Tuita studied and completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at Western Sydney University before going to the University of New South Wales to pursue a Bachelor of Art Education in 2004. Later in 2011, he completed a Master's in Special Education with the University of Sydney.[4] Tuita worked at Green Square School primary school and community centre from 2015 to 2017 as a High School art teacher, a Special Education teacher, and an Assistant Principal.[5]

Telly Tuita delves into his cultural identity through nostalgia, which is shaped by his childhood relocation from Tonga.[6] Tuita developed Tongpop, a distinct visual language, as a result of his exploration of his ethnic identity and complex relationship with his ancestral land.[7]

After the destructive Tonga tsunami in 2022 New Zealand based Tongan artists established an online art project named Peau Kula, to fundraise.[8] Tuita along with other artists such as Sione Monū and Dagmar Dyck donated works to this cause.[9] Peau Kula is a Tongan name that refers to the ferocity and power of a wave as expressed in red, also acknowledging Tongan enriched history with volcanic eruptions and the experience of the Peau kula.[10]

Tuita's Inaugural solo exhibition Tongpop Nostalgia was a pivotal point in his career.[11] Tuita ran a crowd funding campaign to allow the work to be presented in Ōtautahi.

In 2021-Tuita’s work Diasporas Children [12] was part of a Wellington City Council the Creative Hoardings pilot programme.[13] Creative Hoardings have been developed in response to a growing number of construction sites around Wellington. Hoardings consist of plywood panels and simple framing structures and surround construction sites as temporary safety walls.

In 2024, Tuita returned to Campbelltown to have a solo exhibition where he grew up, called Tongpop's Great Expectations in Campbelltown Arts Centre. [14]

Awards

Residencies

Selected solo exhibitions

Selected group exhibitions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tongpop Fetish — Objectspace. 2022-02-19. www.objectspace.org.nz. en.
  2. Web site: Winners 2020. 2022-02-19. Molly Morpeth Canaday Award. en.
  3. Web site: National Contemporary Art Award *2021 – Waikato Museum . 2022-02-21 . waikatomuseum.co.nz.
  4. Web site: 2020-06-03. Recycled objects portray Tongan artist's personal cultural journey. 2022-02-21. RNZ. en-nz.
  5. Peterson . Giles . Atafu-Mayo . Katharine Losi . Kamehiro . Stacy L. . Wander . Maggie . 2022 . SALTWATER / Interconnectivity . Pacific Arts: The Journal of the Pacific Arts Association . en . 22 . 1 . 10.5070/PC222156845 . 1018-4252. free .
  6. Web site: Telly Tuita: Tongpop Nostalgia CoCA Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki. 2022-02-21. coca.org.nz.
  7. Web site: Bringing Tongpop to Ōtautahi. 2022-02-21. Bringing Tongpop to Ōtautahi. en.
  8. Web site: Benjamin Work. BERGMAN GALLERY.
  9. Web site: Vano. Kendall. 2022-02-14. Artists answer the call for Tonga.. 2022-02-20. TP+. en-NZ.
  10. Web site: PEAU KULA – Art fundraiser for Tonga — thecoconet.tv – The world's largest hub of Pacific Island content.. 2022-02-19. www.thecoconet.tv.
  11. Web site: Bringing Tongpop to Ōtautahi. 2022-02-21. Bringing Tongpop to Ōtautahi. en.
  12. Web site: 2020-11-19. Hoardings to paint a picture about the city. 2022-02-20. Wellington City Council. en-NZ.
  13. Web site: 2021-09-03. Creative Hoardings pilot programme. 2022-02-20. Wellington City Council. en-NZ.
  14. Web site: Leong . Karen . 2024-01-31 . Self-representation and cultural references in the work of Telly Tuita . 2024-02-15 . www.artshub.com.au . en-AU.
  15. Web site: Hamilton's Painting and Print Competition – EyeContact . 2023-09-26 . eyecontactmagazine.com.
  16. Web site: Poison Creek TELLY TUITA WINTER 2023 . 2023-09-26 . www.poisoncreek.nz.
  17. Web site: Tongpop Pantheon . 2023-09-26 . Ballarat International Foto Biennale . en-AU.
  18. Web site: 2023-02-28 . Telly Tuita's Tongpop comes to Britomart . 2023-09-26 . Britomart . en.
  19. Web site: Halliday . Jax . 2023-01-31 . Telly Tuita Aotearoa Art Fair . 2023-09-26 . en-NZ.
  20. Web site: Telly Tuita 23 July - 20 August 2022 - Overview . 2023-09-26 . Bergman Gallery . en.
  21. Web site: Telly Tuita, Tongpop He-Story . 2023-09-26 . The Art Paper . en-NZ.
  22. Web site: CoCA Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki . 2022-02-19 . coca.org.nz.
  23. Web site: 2020-02-13 . Telly Tuita; TongPop Herstory . 2022-02-19 . The Big Idea . en.
  24. Web site: Recycle goods . 2022-02-19 . Loop Tonga . en.
  25. https://physicsroom.org.nz/media/uploads/2019_05/TPR-Hamster_4-print_FINAL.pdf
  26. Web site: Tukufakaholo - Tongan Contemporary . 2023-09-26 . Artnow . en.
  27. Web site: Te Atuitanga - Between our Cloak of Stars 25 June - 16 July 2022 - Overview . 2023-09-26 . Bergman Gallery . en.
  28. Web site: Whetūrangitia/Made As Stars . 2023-03-13 . The Dowse Art Museum . en-NZ.
  29. Web site: Mānawatia Takatāpui / Defending Plurality: Shannon Novak . 2023-09-26 . Artnow . en.
  30. Web site: SALTWATER / Interconnectivity . 2022-02-19 . Tautai . en-US.

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