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I was born in 1989 and am of Samoan and Pākehā descent. My mother’s family is from Fasitoʻouta, Upolu, Samoa, and through my mother, Leelasia Semi, my gafa connects me to my grandfather, Lolomatauama Semi, and to Tauauvea Peseta, our family’s chiefly titleholder.  

 

I am a visual artist based in Wairewa (Little River) on Banks Peninsula, Te Waipounamu, Aotearoa New Zealand. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours from the University of Canterbury in 2012 and was introduced to The Diversion Gallery by acclaimed Pacific artist Fatu Feu’u, who mentored students as Artist in Residence at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies in 2011.

 

Working full time from my home studio, my practice spans large scale woodblock printing, painting, and drawing. My work is grounded in relationships between people, place, faith, family, and the natural environment. Drawing from both my Samoan heritage and life on Banks Peninsula, I explore themes of connection, belonging, and stewardship through imagery of birdlife, coastlines, and rural landscapes.

 

Central to my practice are ideas that resonate with Samoan understandings of gafa (genealogy) and vā (relational space). These concepts inform the way I approach landscape, not simply as scenery, but as a living network of relationships between people, communities, ancestors, and the natural world. Time spent fishing, gathering food, travelling throughout Te Waipounamu, and maintaining connections with Samoa continue to shape my understanding of place and identity.

 

Community and tautua (service) are important aspects of my practice. Alongside exhibiting internationally and nationally, I have worked with schools, community organisations, and arts initiatives, sharing creative knowledge through workshops, mentoring, and collaborative projects. My Christian faith also informs my approach to artmaking, reinforcing values of care, generosity, and relationship.

 

I have exhibited throughout the Pacific, including exhibitions in Samoa, Christchurch, Nelson, Blenheim, and Auckland. My work is held in numerous private and public collections, and I am grateful to contribute to contemporary Pacific and New Zealand printmaking.