Edith Amituanai and Sione Tuívailala Monū: Toloa Tales

Two vibrant video works, one by Edith Amituanai (Aotearoa, Samoa) and another by Sione Tuívailala Monū (Aotearoa, Australia, Tonga) tell the story of how they travelled to Samoa to celebrate a friend’s participation in the Miss Samoa Fa’afafine Pageant, and visit Edith’s family.

While there, they captured personal stories and exchanges, exploring their relationship to the ‘motherland’ by capturing tender moments of everyday island life. Together, these videos consider what it means to return to an ancestral homeland, and how identity and culture is maintained through the Pacific diaspora, where people migrate to other countries like Aotearoa, Australia and the United States.

The title Toloa Tales plays on the proverb ‘e lele le toloa ae ma’au lava ile vai’, meaning the Pacific duck or toloa flies far, but will always return to water; that no matter how far one journeys, there is always a desire to come home.

Images:

1. Edith Amituanai Vaimoe (video still) 2024. Single-channel HD video, duration 16 mins. Courtesy of the artist
2. Edith Amituanai Vaimoe (video still) 2024. Single-channel HD video, duration 16 mins. Courtesy of the artist
3. Edith Amituanai and Sione Tuívailala Monū, research images, 2024. Courtesy of the artists

Toured by Christchurch Art Gallery and made with generous support from Creative New Zealand