From grief to renewal: Niuean exhibition ‘Moana, Fonua’ brings generations together

Niuean creativity takes centre stage this month as father and daughter, Reverend Dr Matagi Jessop-Vilitama and Christyl Matagi-Vilitama, prepare to open their joint exhibition, Fanau, Fānau: Moana, Fonua in South Auckland.

The show is the third in a four-part series marking 50 years of Niue’s self governance or Pule Fakamotu.

For the pair, it is about more than marking a milestone, it is about ensuring the vitality of Niuean arts, culture, and language for generations to come.

In an interview on 531pi’s Island Time, Jessop-Vilitama says art to him is a vaka and a way of preserving his heritage,culture and history.

“A piece of art can tell multiple stories or endless stories,” he says.

“That’s a space we do need to explore more and encourage our young people, the next generation, to discover for themselves and use the gifts, God-given gifts.”

Hailing primarily from the village of Mutalau, Jessop-Vilitama’s own creative journey began long before his call to the ministry.

Trained in visual communication design, he found art to be both a natural gift and a spiritual practice, one he returned to after a blip of burnout during his PhD studies.

It was the devastating loss of his son, Tofi, that deepened his commitment to art as a space of healing, storytelling, and reconnection.

Reverend Dr Matagi Jessop-Vilitama with his wife Joanna Matagi holding a photo of their son, Tofi Matagi. Photo/NZ Herald/Michael Craig

“I always felt there was a need for me to have a goal, something to express myself…When we lost our son, the need for that exercise really took hold of me,” Jessop-Vilitama says.

“These are the gifts that are bestowed upon us, but we do need to share them and use them to preserve our culture and heritage.”

His daughter Matagi-Vilitama, a self-taught artist and cultural storyteller, carries that same vision.

For her, art is a bridge between ancestral traditions and modern creativity - an inheritance with responsibilities.

“Even though I’m self-taught, it’s also a talent that was bestowed upon me…hopefully it’ll inspire my children and the younger generation as well. That’s a way where we can preserve our culture and our language.”

The exhibition’s theme of birth, children/family/community: ocean, land/placentaexplores the interconnectedness of ocean, land, and people - past present, and future.

“It is a connection between us and our ancestors and also our future generations,” Matagi-Vilitama says.

“The elements of nature our ancestors experienced, we get to experience, and so will our children.”

For the Vilitamas, the father-daughter collaboration also symbolises the interweaving of old and new.

While Jessop-Vilitama works with paint and canvas, Matagi-Vilitama embraces digital tools and contemporary mediums.

Together, their work speaks to the resilience and evolution of Niuean identity across borders, generations, and artistic forms.

As Niuean communities continue to grapple with the impacts of colonialism and language loss, both father and daughter see the arts as a vital tool for decolonisation and renewal.

“Part of decolonisation, of our minds of course, is to repopulate our thinking and our creative space with our traditional stuff, our histories, and our stories,” the Reverend says.

Matagi-Vilitama adds a message for emerging artists, “Just do it. If you have a gift and a passion for it, go for it…art is ever-evolving, art is always open for interpretation.

“It tells stories - not just my story, but somebody else can look at it and see something else.”

Fanau, Fānau: Moana, Fonua opens on Saturday, 13 September from 1-5pm at the Centre for Pacific Languages at the Manukau Westfield Mall.