API Month Photographer Highlight
Penny Anae Fuimaono
Sports and Film Stills Photographer
(Samoan Artist)
1. What inspires you?
Life, people, and culture. I like capturing candid moments & finding pockets of beauty in unexpected places.
2. How does your culture contribute to your art?
Samoan culture (alongside many other cultures) uses stories to orally pass down our history. So when it comes to my version of storytelling, photography is my vessel. My art isn't just in the finished images of a project, but it's in the whole production. My culture plays a huge part in how I approach creativity. From how I speak and collaborate with my subject, to what projects I choose to take on. I carry my family name with me in everything that I do which makes me very proud to represent them and my people.
3. Brief description of your set and what cultural pieces you used:
I went for a monochromatic set using multiple layers of fabric. The color of the fabric was inspired by the color of sand which brought in a lot of warmth. The cultural pieces incorporated in the set are called Nifo'oti: war weapons, but they're also used for show and ceremonial purposes. They're carefully carved out of wood and can be very large. They're my Anae family heirlooms.
George Ngatuvai
Fashion, Music, and Sports Photographer
(Tongan Artist)
What inspires you?
The beauty of life inspires me. The endless opportunities and possibilities of life help me understand there’s no “right way” to capture a moment. Exploring and experimenting is what makes life so beautiful.
How does culture contribute to your art?
Culture plays a huge role in my art as different cultures view life differently and I love the diversity in that. If not capturing a subject in their cultural attire then I’m looking for ways to incorporate their culture in other ways.
Brief description of your set and what cultural pieces you used.
Since I am Tongan, I photographed my subject in her teunga Tau’olunga. Tau’olunga is the name of the Tongan dance performed my young maidens. Teunga means attire. Liliena (my subject) wore a teunga designed by her talented mother using tapa cloth (various pacific islands use tapa cloth and have different names. In Tongan, tapa cloth is called “ngatu”. ) Ngatu is a material made from the mulberry tree through beating and soaking. Ngatu is very important in Tongan culture as it is used for gift giving (back in the day it was used as currency). Another very important material in Tongan culture used for gift giving is called a Fala (fine mat). Unlike ngatu, these mats are woven out of pandanus leaves. I used a fala as the backdrop for Liliena.
