The Seal & The Tuna

This work titled The Tuna and The Seal is an original artwork on Feta'aki (Tongan tapa cloth) with umea (Vava'u red earth dye) kupesi, painted in acrylic and ink - 17cm x 17cm.

This work by Tui Emma Gillies is inspired by works developed out of her residency at The University of Canterbury Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies in late 2023. These works focus on Tui's exploration of her connection to the moana while holding steadfast to her family’s tradition of tapa making through the exploration what it means to be an individual artist who also part of an important ancestral cultural tradition. Through this residency Tui's style has evolved to embody her deep and abiding connection to the moana. Of this work Tui says " The Seal and the Tuna' is a combination of the traditional and contemporary. It is representative of creatures that survive and rely on our oceans, including us. The eye a window into our subconscious as people of Te Moana Nui-a-Kiwa. "

An unique and very special gift or a one off piece for a collector of contemporary Pacific art.  This small but beautiful work is for those with a deep appreciation for art and ancient indigenous art forms.