Michel Tuffery - A message from Tangaroa

Reknown Pacific contemporary artist Michel Tuffery aims to create a dialogue about one of the most important issues we as Pacific people deal with - our environment.

The pacific environment, this has been a long standing narrative within my art practise. 

I’ve recently returned from Tahiti delivering the most amazing film titled "Tupaia" made in collaboration with Lala Rolls. This all began after my reading of Anne Salmond monumental book Trial of the Cannibal Dog which offset numerous artistic responses from prints, paintings, moving image through to performance artworks. 

For years I have been addressing the issue of fishing rights and exploitation of it’s natural resources and the culture impact of colonization in the South Pacific. 

I’ve long been deeply effected by the amount of pollution that I have witnessed going right back to the mid 1980’s and I find it quite ironic that we are still dealing with the same issues in the 21st century, if nothing else it’s far worse. 

O le Va Sa Loloto ma le Loloa 2008

The sculptural works created from recycled materials that I began to make during the mid 1980’s were purposeful and created with conviction as I was addressing the issues of environmental impact and the health of our Pacific peoples. The statistics were alarming then and they’ve not much improved. Historically I’ve seen significant change, which has had adverse effects to the detriment of many. The change away from traditional diet to tinned fish and western foods being sold back into the community was and is of huge concern. 

Over the years I’ve been inspired and educated through numerous discussions with many respected people such as Paulo Suluape and Petelo Suluape during the 1980’s in Samoa equally I was heavily influenced by an amazing artist Bobby Holcomb who resided in Huahine and in an ongoing way with my long standing faithful friend, and Cook Island brother and mentor Jim Vivieaere.

Malaita in the Solomon Islands, papermaking and woodblock printing 1995

Through the 1990’s I worked up in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu with Chris Delaney and in New Caledonia working on community projects, they were also dually dealing with impact of exploitation and de-forestation happening throughout Melanesia at that time.

For many years I have been researching Pacific Collections housed in Museums globally, studying objects of significance that were collected in the early 1800’s that are still socially connected with the issues that we are dealing with now. Those collections are my hard-drives to connect to the past.

George Nuku equally has been researching and addressing this within his own artistic practice for many years, Bottled Ocean an installation currently on at Pataka addresses the plastic issue, and is an absolutely amazing body of work by the bro which is so relevant.

What’s become clear is how much the West haven’t listened or addressed the issues of our rights in the South Pacific. 

I made a connection with a particular taonga housed in a Munich Pacific Collection where I was able to open up dialogue with Hilke Thode Arora, Micheala Appel, German Embassy Wellington, Christoph Anton, Gothe Institut, Christoph Muecher and in an ongoing way  Te Papa with Sean Mallon and Megan Tamati Quennell. I am genuinely grateful for the support of these relationships and the ongoing access that has been granted to the Tangaora and First Contact research over the years from these Institutions.

O le Vasa Loloto ma le Laloa 2000

The images correlated in this album are a historical response to the issues that we are dealing with presently and have been my visual responses tracked over time, which began while I was at Otago School of Art in Dunedin. 

While I was at art school during the 1980’s the Nuclear testing was happening in French Polynesia and Mururoa and that’s when my interest and environmental investigation really took hold and had a huge impact on me about where I could take my art. I have always used my art practice to try and articulate my responses to addressing Pacific issues. 

On returning from living in Tahiti and Cook Islands I was awarded the New Zealand International Festival Arts artist and created the branding for the 1994 Festival. From this Tu Faatasi seeded.

Through many conversations with Jim Vivieaere we discussed at length how could we initiate the Institutions to become more engaged with the Pacific communities and vice versa, and one of the best examples was Bottled Ocean a survey of Contemporary Pacific Art at the time, curated by Jim which toured.

I have always practiced my art with conviction and been committed to my community and to engage with community. In my mind the gallery is outside the Institution.

In the 1980’s it was clear that many in the Pacific community felt ostracised and there was a mentality they couldn’t participate or engage.

 

Povi Tau Vaga - The Challenge 1999 Performance

I sort to create a environment where the Pacific community felt comfortable engaging within such a institutional space, that opportunity came about in 1996 during my Rita Angus Fellowship. Where I created two life size ‘povi’s made out of Pisupo and choreographed "Povi Tau Vaga – The Challenge” performance artwork which was staged out on the streets of Wellington City and, in and around Wellington Civic Square.

Recently I was invited to present at the Civic Action conference in Sydney facilitated by the MCA and their C3West program. What it made me think about and question was, what was the role of an artist in a community and secondly, how does an art institution become more engaged with communities outside of the institution? 

Over the next few weeks I will be posting and processing historically my images and concepts which capture the issues we are dealing with now and validates the histrionics of what I’ve been conceptualising for years as it seems we are back to square one with the rubbish on many levels n the Pacific. 

This topic comes up in a lot of conversations, which is of concern right throughout the Pacific Islands and French Polynesia. Recently the French President visited Tahiti and the whole Nuclear issue was raised again as it still needs to be addressed.

O le Va Sa Loloto ma le Laloa 2001 Performance

I’m looking to create a dialogue about the issues we are front facing in dealing with pollution and the environmental impact throughout the Pacific. 
I am open to engaging more to collaborative approaches with serious Philanthropists, Curators, Institutions and Museums with a strong environmental conscience and to empower more social engagement as we are the last stand in the South Pacific.

For myself I was inspired and rejuvenated after the FIFO launch of Tupaia film during February, where I had several speaking engagements at institutions, schools and at open community forums - many were empowered by the story of a real tahunga Tupaia. There are still “Tupaia’s who exist today and part of my role is to wake up the DNA and empower them about our Indigenous Intellectualism."

Why am I posting this now you may be asking? Well social media ie FB has been a platform to open up dialogue, most access it with genuine interest, so for those that are connected to my FB welcome your contribution in using this platform to help empower and educate other people in such communities. 

So share and engage.

Maru ru roa
Tuffs

Source: Facebook