Fatu Feuʻu’s four decade-long career encompasses the emergence of the burgeoning Pacific art scene in Aotearoa New Zealand from the 1980s to the 2020s (and he continues to exhibit regularly). He is regarded as one of the first Pacific artists to establish himself professionally in Aotearoa and has been described as the Father of Contemporary Pacific Art. His paintings, sculptures, prints, and ceramics draw on a range of customary Samoan art forms including siapo (decorated barkcloth), tatau (tattoo), and carving. They are also redolent with metaphors of navigation and journeying, reflecting his own migration from his homeland of Samoa to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1966.
