Tautai Gallery, 10 October – 16 November 2024

Solesolevaki is a means for reciprocity. In Fijian, it reflects the process of working together, mutuality, give and take. This exhibition explores the concept of solesolevaki as a tool to enable connection and intergenerational cultural transmission across four generations of one family descended from and woven into Mataqali Navusalevu, a sub-clan of Natusara from the province of Kadavu, Fiji.

Each creative act is a portal unlocking memory, tacit knowledge and ancestral connection. Manifested in contemporary forms of painting, textiles, collage and drawing, the project agitates gaps in knowing, borrowing and fusing skills and understanding to fortify the inextricable bond to Vanua (whenua).

Produced as a practice of solesolevaki, the project has been initiated by artist-curator Vasemaca Tavola, but exists as a collaborative expression of her family.