HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS: 'JPG'

Jnr Tanielu  / 'JPG' aka 'juxtapose'

Creative

Samoan 

I am a multidisciplinary creative. Initially I started as a self taught digital illustrator/ graphic designer, then I made a transition into the art form of painting. I like using various mediums but as of late, acrylics have been my go-to. My artworks are inspired by my interests and memories as a youth of the 90s era.

Both my parents are Samoan, they moved to New Zealand in the mid 70's. We grew up in South Auckland and later moved to West Auckland when I started school.

When/how did you realise you wanted to pursue a career as an artist?

As the youngest growing up and being the only boy with four sisters, I spent a lot of time drawing, skating, and gaming to keep myself occupied. You know just doing my own thing, that’s where I first discovered my interest in art. Art was like the only thing I really engaged with as a student and it stuck with me through my teenage years.

So fast forward, I dropped out of high school and was lucky to get into unitec to study design, unfortunately I lost interest and dropped out of uni too. I found myself working full-time in a warehouse operating machinery for the next ten years. By this time I was over it.

In 2015 I experienced a difficult time in my personal life and needed to keep myself occupied again. I picked up the brush after a ten year hiatus. About four months later, February 2016 I had produced enough material and had my very first exhibition. This was where I realized the potential and from here I pursued a career as an all-round creative.

What have been the highlights so far in your career?

It's still early days for me. I started my full-time art career 8 months ago and the journey so far has been crazy. I feel like the opportunities I've created and the ones that have presented themselves have all been significant. I'm still learning and growing to this day so I still consider this to be a hobby.

One highlight was working for Chris Brown. He has been one of my creative inspirations for art, music and fashion; so for him to appreciate my craft in return was awesome. There have been a lot of achievements along the way but that was my most memorable.

What have been the main challenges you've faced thus far?

I think what I found challenging at the start was managing time and the ups and downs of being your own boss. Also having to adapt and deal with the business side of things then applying the same energy to the craft and project at hand.

It took it's toll mentally and physically but it's just one of those things that comes with it. It's all part of the grind, it's hard but it's manageable.

 

How does your pasifika culture affect your art/ your lifestyle?

Well it's obvious that my pacific culture doesn't show in my art works but I do feel like my cultural upbringing has played a big part in my work ethic. We didn't start out with much but we are thankful and work hard for what we need.

Coming from a small pacific island to being able to share my art with the world is something I acknowledge, so it's humbling and keeps me grounded.

You're now in Abu Dhabi – What are you doing over there? And what are your goals for the future?

I've come to the U.A.E to work on a collaborative project with a training mask company based in Dubai. There is also a creative scene that is slowly growing over here and it's not as saturated as where I was previously based. This gives me more room to network and bring something refreshing to the U.A.E.

I have concepts for new material that I plan on exhibiting later this year and I will be building furniture and collectable items for future projects.

There is a market for unique individuals here and a strong appreciation for visual pleasures, so I look to be a part of this creative scene as it continues to grow, and participate in its diversity.