Tag: art

Boris Toucas: Ballpoint pen artist By Alipate Pareti With simple strokes of a humble ballpoint pen, Boris Toucas is bringing Suva to life in the pages of his sketchbook. The 40-year-old former French diplomat now resides in Fiji, where he is inspired by the beauty of landscapes, city skylines and people within the environment. In […]

By Ema Ganivatu The newly launched What Can You See in this ABC book brings together some of Fiji’s best-known artists with the goal of inspiring a reading culture among Fiji’s children. Authors Jane Ricketts and Joanne Vosailagi – who have combined their love of Fiji with their passion for reading and art – say […]

By Ema Ganivatu  Fijian Artist Irami Buli is sitting in a spacious room where his colorful pieces are displayed alongside works by other talented local artists. The works are submissions in the National Fine Arts Awards, which are now on display at the National Art Gallery in downtown Suva. “Art speaks to our identity, our history, and […]

By Kite Pareti Mele Nabola’s journey with art began from a young age. Her father, who’s also an artist, has been her inspiration which encouraged her to follow in his footsteps.  “Growing up I would see him paint sign boards for a living. I would help him clean his brushes and then later on I […]

By Samantha Magick In an age where art is increasingly digitally-manipulated, there is no mistaking the artist’s hand in the work of Su Elliott. Elliott likes to leave the faint traces of her erasures and evidence of her brush strokes in her finished works. “To me it is important for whoever’s looking at the work […]

By Samantha Magick and Elizabeth Kolivuso Suva painter Jane Ricketts’ paintings are a window into Fiji’s history and history-makers, iTaukei and Indo-Fijian culture, cityscapes and intimate depictions of her family. Ricketts developed her interest in art at a very young age, at the knee of her grandfather, who painted landscapes. But it was a turning […]

By Prerna Priyanka In a blend of creativity and performance, Moana Loa is set to mesmerise audiences at the upcoming Fiji Fringe Festival with a whimsical performance inspired by a childhood favourite. Choreographer Maleina Molia says: “The audience can expect Moana Loa to bring a fun performance to the Fringe Festival with a themed storyline […]

By Prerna Priyanka In a vibrant display of talent and creativity, MATA Dance Crew, a creative dance company based in Suva, is gearing up to captivate audiences at the Fiji Fringe Festival on March 23, 2024. Founded by Tevita Tobeyaweni in 2019, MATA Dance has become a trailblazer in the Fiji dance scene, aiming to […]

By Prerna Priyanka In a captivating intersection of art, environmental awareness, and cultural storytelling, Mere Nailatikau and Amer Kanngieser are set to launch their groundbreaking exhibition, “Oceanic Refractions.” The exhibition, which originated from a serendipitous encounter in Suva five years ago, promises a unique sensory experience that delves into the Pacific’s environmental challenges through the […]

A blueprint for creativity, concentration and cultural exchange By Samantha Magick In the hills above Malaqereqere on the Coral Coast, a pocket-sized gallery is showing art unique to Fiji.  Much of the work on display is produced at Lancaster Press Fiji, a studio dedicated to making lithographic prints, and run by Peter Lancaster and Dinah Caroline. […]

By Elizabeth Kolivuso and Samantha Magick Suva painter Jane Ricketts’ Memories exhibition at the Oceania Art Centre is a window into Fiji’s history and history-makers, iTaukei and Indo-Fijian culture, cityscapes and intimate depictions of her family. Ricketts’ elegant use of watercolours, oil paints and paper collage bring her subjects, and their stories, to vivid life. […]

By Prerna Priyanka Self-taught artist, Jeke Viwalu Lagi’s new show Variant at the Gallery of Oceanian Art in Suva shows off his abstract expressionism in a new way, through the use of woodwork and paint. The exhibition at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus, is a captivating display of Lagi’s distinct woodwork creations […]

By Max Cross Mason James Lee has been a leading light in the Fiji art scene since his first exhibition in 2000. The self-taught, award-winning painter, muralist and interior designer, is of Chinese and iTaukei heritage. Born and raised in Suva, Mason feels a deep connection with his paternal family land in Bua on the […]

By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti Entering Sigavou Studios is a surprising experience. Located in a light industrial area in Nadi, a beautiful mural outside hints at what is to come. The steps you ascend relay a motivational message, and when you get to the top, you are greeted with an explosion of colours. The founder, Maria Rova, […]

A new exhibition opened last weekend at Lancaster Press Fiji, in the hills of Malaqereqere, just near Sigatoka, featuring the efforts of local and international artists working in various mediums, including lithography, the medium in which artist and press founder, Peter Lancaster, specialises. Speaking at the opening, Lancaster said the artist and printing studios, residency […]

In a glass room at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel, a frangipani tree wrought from glinting metal and glowing glass is growing from the ceiling this weekend. In another corner of this temporary exhibition space, a school of iridescent copper mahimahi swirls around blue glass waves and delicate clear glass fish, while birds constructed of bronze […]

A unique art exhibition will soon take place at the iconic Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva. It is called “Born From Fire: Return to the Flames” and will display work from Alice Hill, an accomplished professional glassblower from Hot Glass Fiji, and Shane Bower, one of Fiji’s most sought-after artists in both large and small-scale […]

Part Two: Reflections of the Fiji Fringe with Sharleen Ali By Ben Wheeler Sharleen Ali is dynamic. She bristles with a creative energy that seems to produce so many thoughts a minute that if there was a way to convert them to electricity, her ideas could power a small village. It is this potency that […]

By Kite Pareti An elegant masi wedding dress hangs high on a frangipani tree for visitors to see. The designer, Asinate Bale, who hails from Nabasovi village in Koro island, says she has been pursuing her passion for five years. “I usually purchase my masi from Suva and I make clothes out of it like […]

Warwick Marlow on turning trash to cash, and bringing Fijian art into hotel suites By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti Walking into the domain of an artist is an incredible feeling. Everywhere you look is a mirror of the artist’s beautiful mind, every corner demanding to be noticed. This is certainly the case when you step foot into […]

Words and photos: Angus Delaney Mana Coffee is one of many businesses around Suva that’s getting an artistic makeover from superb Fiji artist Jack Eastgate. The mural, focused around a tanoa, is one Jack hopes customers enjoy as much as he does. “I was really excited that they allowed me to put this up and […]

By Ariela Zibiah Jason Chute’s collection of #realpacific: Photographs from Oceania pays homage to the Pacific region’s heterogeneity, a storytellers’ treasure trove. Chute captures warmth in his sunsets and seduction in the milky way which rises out of a Red Breach. The stillness of dawn in a dew-covered countryside, the abundance of our ocean, the […]

By Ariela Zibiah A political cartoon published in 1977 in Fiji has taken on a rather poignant meaning, as it could’ve been speaking to today’s political impasse. The cartoon depicts Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, whose party had just experienced its first loss after two elections, leaving on a boat (Leadership) and Siddiq Koya, the then […]

The Fiji Fringe Festival this week released its artists guide, with details of the performers who will be appearing at the event, which runs in Suva from 25th February till the 4th of March. Fiji Traveller is proud to be a sponsor of the festival. Look out for our profiles of the performers and activities […]