Artwork Information

Paul Pomoni Tangata is revered as one of the foundational figures of contemporary Pacific art in Aotearoa. Of Kūki ‘Āirani and Tahitian descent, Tangata was born on the island of Atiu in the Cook Islands and spent most of his childhood in Mauke and Rarotonga before his family migrated to New Zealand in 1957. In 1965, he became the first Pacific Islander to graduate from the Elam School of Fine Arts.

His mastery of colour manifested into a distinctive abstract painting style. Take for example the gouche and pastel work Landscape, where Tangata’s energised use of colour and symbolism give form to an abstracted lansdscape based on his memories of the Cook Islands. The water-like swatches of orange and scarlet tones spill down onto the canvas and for Tangata reflects “… where my roots come from, the red clay all over Atiu, all over Polynesia.” Painted on top of the ‘clay’ and outlined in pastel are abstracted vegetation forms akin to the verdant environment of the plumeria or frangipani commonly found in the Pacific.

- Ane Tonga, Curator, Pacific Art, 2022.