Tag: Arts

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 For over 40 years, a 64-year-old i-Taukei craftswoman has captivated buyers, tourists, and locals with her beautifully crafted handmade products, earning admiration for her timeless skills and creativity. This year, Lanieta Raratabu, who traveled from Waimalua Settlement in Serea, Naitasiri, was one of the women participating in the National Craft Exhibition in […]

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 […]

Counting coral x Vomo Island By Prerna Priyanka A creative coral conservation campaign has been launched in Fiji through a partnership between Vomo Island Resort and the non-profit organisation, Counting Coral, that marries tourism, creative expression and marine conservation. The partnership aims to forge a new path towards safeguarding the world’s endangered coral reefs 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 Ben Wheeler The Fourth Pacific Human Rights Film Festival is gearing up for what organisers expect to be its biggest and most successful year yet. This October audiences will be treated to the Fijian premiere of the sumptuous ecofeminist feature Pacific Mother and an exclusive director’s cut of the stunning reef renewal documentary Protecting […]

This year’s Allan Alo Festival last night opened with a stunning performance, and featured an exhibition of renowned Pacific artists. The week-long festival promises to captivate audiences by focusing on Pacific cultural heritage, with contributions from regional guest artists as well as students of the late Allan Alo in Fiji. Hosted at the Oceania Art […]

Hold this, roll this, sit here and blow slowly. If you are a fan of ‘Blown Away’, Netflix’s strangely compelling competitive glass blowing show, you may have thought, ‘That looks like fun, I’d like to try that.’ The onscreen glass artists, and the in-real-life glassblowers at Hot Glass Fiji in Korotogo make it look deceptively […]

By Ben Wheeler Movie Review: The Fall Guy I do love the Courier font. I think it looks cool. It reminds me of my old typewriter, and it reminds me of movie scripts, which are always written in Courier or one of its variations. It has connotations of control – each character and each space […]

By Ben Wheeler Recently the debate around how to release new movies – in theatres or home streaming – has raged. Doug Liman all but walked on his awesome remake of 80s classic Roadhouse when Amazon announced it would not receive a theatrical release some weeks back. He threatened to boycott the premiere, but then […]

By Debbie Singh In September 2022, the VOU Dance Company in Fiji was awarded a grant of almost €180,000 through an African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) – European Union (EU) funded project to promote the sustainability of cultural and creative industries in the Pacific. The project is implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) in partnership with […]

By Kite Pareti Fijian warriors holding tiki torches and performing meke dances at night are some of Sandy Lyons’ best memories of the Arts Village. “I grew up in the Arts Village in its heyday, and there was such a good vibe. My parents had a shop here, and my primary school was located here […]

By Prerna Priyanka Fijian storyteller and climate activist, Fenton Lutunatabua, is gearing up for the premiere of his debut film ‘Vakaraitaka’ at the Maoriland Film Festival in March. The festival, now in its 11th year, is New Zealand’s premier international Indigenous Film Festival, and provides a platform for diverse voices and perspectives. ‘Vakaraitaka’ is a […]

By Ben Wheeler Take one Swedish pop band – the finest you can find – add a hint of the Italian language, a Greek setting, a universal tale of love lost, and a quest for identity. Bring to the boil with an Irish Australian director and sprinkle liberally with Fijian talent – you can find […]

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 Rowena Singh “There’s never a last song,” says InsideOut lead singer and guitarist, Apakuki Nalawa about the band’s ability to fill dancefloors. “We have to literally run off the stage. People just don’t want to stop partying, dancing and singing.” InsideOut’s passion, iTaukei lyrics, melody and instrumentation has brought them fame across Fiji and […]

From the moment the first artist in A Dance in 5 Installations slinks along the top of a wall and launches himself onto aerial silks, you are transported on a powerful journey. Choreographer Glenville Lord says the work represents the full circle of his experience, starting as a junior dancer at the Oceania Centre, working […]

By Prerna Priyanka In a ground-breaking initiative aiming for inclusivity in the arts, the Fiji run of MAMMA MIA! The Musical is gearing up for a special ‘accessible performance’ on February 10, 2024. Directed by Michael Payer, this rendition of MAMMA MIA! promises to dazzle audiences while serving as a platform for local talent. The […]

Rarotonga-based filmmaker and playwright, Glenda Tuaine’s short film, Taonga: An Artist Activist, will be screened for the first time in Fiji today at the third Pacific Human Rights Film Festival. The 15-minute short film is about Mike Tavioni, a renowned Cook Islands master carver, vaka builder, painter, poet and activist. Tuaine’s first encounter with Mike […]

The third Pacific Human Rights Film Festival starts tomorrow at the University of the South Pacific’s Japan ICT Performance Theatre in Suva with an important film about rugby in the Pacific.  The opening film is Oceans Apart, which will be screening in Fiji for the first time. Festival Director, Ben Wheeler, says this year’s festival […]

By Elizabeth Kolivuso Fiji’s ‘Vude Queen’ will become the dancing queen as the star of iconic hit musical, Mamma Mia, when it is staged in Fiji next year. Laisa Vulakoro will star in Mamma Mia in February, which is being presented alongside the second Fiji Fringe Festival as part of Arts Season 2024.  The Fiji […]

By Ben Wheeler Sitting in the darkness at the final night of the Fiji Fashion Week, having already seen several designers parade their collections up, down, and all around the catwalk, I take a moment… I am enjoying this far more than I thought I would. Perhaps I am now a Fashionista? It would certainly […]

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. […]