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New works by Samuel Tupou
Melbourne Art Rooms (MARS), 418 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Until December 21
Samuel Tupou’s work is a tour de force of pattern, colour and bold symbolism.
At 31, Tupou has been hailed as an emerging talent to watch out for. One look around his current show at MARS and you can see why. Large scale silk-screened prints on layers of perspex and PVC fill both levels of the gallery. The works reference pop culture, traditional Tongan patterning and Western wallpaper design. These elements combine to create works that appeal on multiple levels; aesthetic and theoretical.
The accessibility of Tupou’s work is a key element to its success with audiences. You can enjoy the rich colour and the design elements of the work, but if you want to delve deeper into the imagery it can be read in relation to ethnicity and postcolonial discourse.
Born of a Tongan father and raised for 10 years in New Zealand, Tupou later moved to far north Queensland, where he is now based. A Pacific Island influence is obvious in the design elements Tupou has used in many of his works. One source of inspiration is the ‘Tapa’ cloths used in ceremonies throughout the Pacific. These patterned cloths feature repeated geometric grids and animal and plant motifs. Such patterning appears in the background of a number of the works on show at MARS.
The tropics of Cairns are another source of inspiration, and is visualised through bright colours and motifs alluding to the Queensland environment.
Street art is another source of inspiration for Tupou. Stencilled figures and objects are layered against the traditionally patterned Tongan backgrounds. Good examples of this can be seen in ‘Afternoon Special’ and ‘Pacific Stripe’.
Equally intriguing is the title of the exhibition, The Rat and the Octopus, which relates to a Polynesian legend rich with meaning; and one fantastic and bold work, ‘Malo the Rat and the Octopus’, symbolises the legend.
If you want to start collecting rising stars of the contemporary art scene, Samuel Tupou’s work is definitely worth a look. The gallery staff at MARS are extremely approachable, and will take you around the show and discuss the themes and techniques Tupou uses, adding a most welcome and refreshing level of accessibility to the works.
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