Filipe Tohi in Honolulu March 30 and April 13 2008

Filipe Tohi of New Zealand, the artist known for his mastery of the ancient Tongan art of lalava (decorative sennit lashing) and his artistic and cultural interpretations of that art form, will offer two presentation and workshop events in Honolulu at the Academy Art Center, on Sunday March 30 and on Sunday April 13, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. The events are hosted by the Academy Art Center and sponsored by Pasifika Foundation Hawai‘i.

Tongan-born New Zealand artist Filipe Tohi is firmly established as one of the leading contemporary Pacific visual artists. Working across a range of media, including stone, wood, steel and digital imagery, he seeks to expand upon and delve deeper into the mysteries of the ancient Tongan art of lalava, the decorative sennit lashings that were used in the construction of canoes, houses and tools.

The Polynesian technology of lashing was not only essential to well-being, but enabled the passing of cultural knowledge from one generation to another. Lalava was the practice that enabled Pacific migrations and created a visual language of enormous depth and complexity. Tohi has dedicated the last seventeen years of his life to studying the intricate, complex design patterns of these lashings and the cultural language hidden within the layers upon layers of black and brown coconut sennit wrapped around the beams of fales and the crossbeams and masts of sailing canoes.

Tohi has taken the art of lalava and made it his own in his quest to understand the patterns and the language hidden inside the layers of string. His explorations of the mysteries that lie within lalava have found expression in his contemporary work, which are based on the presentation of lalava’s geometric forms and patterns. His stone sculptures are well known throughout New Zealand, but perhaps his most famous work is “Halamoana” (ocean pathway), a 30-foot stainless steel sculpture, based on lalava patterning, that is lit up at night.

His work has also been featured at shows and symposiums throughout the world. In 2003, he was awarded Creative New Zealand‘s Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award.

2007 was a dynamic year for Tohi. In April, Tohi donated lalava to a community house – a “Hawaiian marae” – in the Hawaiian Homelands area of Waimea, Hawai’i. While there, he trained two young Hawaiians in basic lashing techniques.

Tohi participated in artists’ panels and presentations in Paris, Sweden, Germany, American Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. Several exhibitions prompted him to explore new materials such as laser cut aluminum, and provided a venue for wall mounted, flat lalava wool arrangements called haukulasi. In the “Island Affinities” exhibition at the CSUN Gallery in Los Angeles, he showed the custom wood constructed Halalangi / Sky Pathway. Tohi created two identical four-meter wooden sculptures for “Le Foulaga” called Uakupenga / Two Nets. Placed side-by-side, back to front, Tohi’s goal was to present expanded vertical and horizontal lines. He explains, “it is important to learn new ways of looking at things” referring to the importance of dimension and depth in understanding why things look the way they do.”

Perhaps his most rewarding experience in 2007 was a residency at the De Young Museum in San Francisco where he was given free reign to experiment with new materials in a large exhibition space. Tohi worked for a month creating a lalava installation with wooden sculptures and walls were covered with two-meter square haukulasi. Visitors became part of the installation by placing their own lalava crosses along one wall or laying wool on their own haukulasi. His residency project, Folau ki Fonua Lahi / Journey to the Big Land is credited with bringing in record numbers of the surrounding Tongan community.

In 2008, Tohi will participate in two carving symposia and a project in London, as well as his visit to Hawai‘i. “It’s not about me,” says Tohi, “it’s about spreading the message of our common Pacific heritage and the insights of our ancestors.”

Tohi will be offering two presentation/workshop events in Honolulu at the Academy Art Center, across the street from the Honolulu Academy of Art at 1111 Victoria Street. The events are scheduled for Sunday, March 30 and Sunday April 13. Both events will run from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

The events are sponsored by Pasifika Foundation Hawai‘i, and are free to the public. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, as space will be limited. Donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information call Ana Currie at Pasifika Foundation Hawai‘i in Kona at (808) 328-8721. For registration call the Academy Art Center at 532-8741.