EFESO 274 (2024)
Czarina Wilson in collaboration with Vasemaca Tavola
Monomono pani (Tongan puffed quilt): sateen, synthetic fill, polycotton.
- Made for Vasa Fia Collins and daughters Kaperiela and Asalemo.
- First exhibited in To Live + Die in South Auckland (2024) at Fresh Gallery Ōtara.
- Read more on Patreon here.
This monomono pani – Tongan puffer patchwork quilt – was made in the week following the sudden and tragic death of local leader, Fa’anānā Efeso Collins (1974-2024).
Artists Czarina Wilson and Vasemaca Tavola were inspired to make this work to process the shock and sadness, and for Tavola, the deep loss of a friend and colleague.
In the days following the announcement of Fa’anānā’s death, the artists cut almost 2000 squares of fabric assembling a total of 968 double-sided puffed squares, each with four individual pleats. The work was done over five days and nights in between East Tāmaki, Ōtara, Papatoetoe and Wilson’s workshop in Glen Innes.
Observed and learned from the matriarchs of Wilson’s famili, this quilting technique is used to make blankets and bedspreads that become koloa – items of cultural value gifted and received within the Tongan community. Wilson has been working with monomono pani since 2020 and alongside traditional quilts, she has also expanded the practice into couture garments and accessories.
This work was made for Fa’anānā’s beloved wife and daughters, as a symbol of comfort and legacy, endurance and commitment. Finished in time for Fa’anānā’s fitting farewell ceremony at Due Drop Events Centre on 29 February 2024, the monomono pani was generously loaned for Tavola’s solo exhibition, To Live + Die in South Auckland at Fresh Gallery Ōtara.
vasemaca tavola 