Fiona
Alifereti Malai Junior, 2015
35.3 x 40.4cm - acrylic and ink on papyrus
Suva, Fiji
35.3 x 40.4cm - acrylic and ink on papyrus
Suva, Fiji
How does the traveller see it?
(Fragment of a post from a Facebook page)
The one painting that caught my eye at a craft market in Suva––the capital of Fiji––was drawn all the way back in 2015.
Unlike most island art, which features palm trees and the sea, here we can see some sort of action that is written into Fiona (the shell)––a symbol of the Fijian civilization.
In the righthand corner, we see tribal chiefs drinking kava (a local drink with narcotic effects made from the root of the kava tree) from a wooden tanoa bowl.
The plant itself is also drawn into Fiona, as well as the “kina kina” paddle, the “kia kavo” weapon and the “kaunitoni” canoe – a sort of traditional catamaran.
For ten years this painting, which was drawn on masi (a canvas made from mulbery tree bark, referred to as “tapa” in other parts of Melanesia and Polynesia), waited patiently for its chance to be exported.
And here it is, in Ukraine!
Unlike most island art, which features palm trees and the sea, here we can see some sort of action that is written into Fiona (the shell)––a symbol of the Fijian civilization.
In the righthand corner, we see tribal chiefs drinking kava (a local drink with narcotic effects made from the root of the kava tree) from a wooden tanoa bowl.
The plant itself is also drawn into Fiona, as well as the “kina kina” paddle, the “kia kavo” weapon and the “kaunitoni” canoe – a sort of traditional catamaran.
For ten years this painting, which was drawn on masi (a canvas made from mulbery tree bark, referred to as “tapa” in other parts of Melanesia and Polynesia), waited patiently for its chance to be exported.
And here it is, in Ukraine!
And what do you think?