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Irami Buli (left) and Anare Somumu (right) pose with their artwork of the late Ratu Sukuna at the National Art
Gallery in Suva, May 2024.
Fiji’s National Art Gallery

A home for the nation’s visual treasures

By Kite Pareti important, his memoirs. And we actually captured his writings
from his book, ‘The three-legged stool’. And the background
Fiji finally has a permanent home for the important and diverse itself is a motif of a mat that represents connectedness and the
paintings and artwork collected by the Fiji Arts Council, and its landscape of how Fiji has evolved over the years during the
array of colourful creative art pieces will leave you inspired. colonial times,” Buli explained.
Located at the St Stephens Building in Suva, the National Art “The drua [in the background of the painting] represents the
Gallery of Fiji has been in its new home for less than a year. After journey. The drua is facing back or going back which means
many false starts, work is underway to transform the building into that in order to move forward, we have to look back in the past
a world-class facility for the arts. in order to gain that wisdom that our ancestors had.
The successful opening exhibition was an open call, which “If you look closely at his eyes, there’s a sunset and sunrise.
meant established artists were displayed alongside their young He’s looking at something that a lot of people would not see.
counterparts. Established Fijian artist, Irami Buli, says “a lot of What I suggested to Anare was to put something in his eyes so
big exhibitions are coming up and hopefully, we will have a big that he’s actually looking at something we don’t see in his time.
celebration.” He [Ratu Sukuna] was sort of like a man beyond his time. That
Around 50 artists currently have their work displayed at the Art is why we put the sunset and the sunrise and the canoes sailing
Gallery, Buli said. to represent a new dawn and a new dusk,” he added.
“There’s a diversity of works here by artists of different styles, Buli, who has been working as an artist for more than 20
emerging and senior ones, who are very brilliant and talented.” years, believes art is a pathway that can “take you anywhere in
An enormous painting of Fijian statesman, the late Ratu Sir the world” and “build a sustainable livelihood”.
Lala Sukuna, is one of Buli’s contributions to the Art Gallery. “The time will come when Fiji will recognise art and its
He noted: “I worked on it with another famous artist, Anare importance. It’s a type of therapy. It trains the mind. It trains the
Somumu. We were able to complete it a year ago.” soul. It trains your humanity.”
The painting was the centrepiece of Ratu Sukuna Day
celebrations in May. The National Art Gallery of Fiji is open Monday-Thursday from 9am-5pm and
“When we were creating it last year, we talked about what he Fridays from 9am-4pm. Admission is free.
[Ratu Sukuna] had done. So basically, his writings were very

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