Etanah Lalau-Talapa: Billboard Project

A vibrant new artwork is to be exhibited on the exterior wall of the Gallery by Te Awa Kairangi, Lower Hutt based artist Etanah Lalau-Talapa. Weaving personal threads, home research, and contemporary representations of visual languages derived from her Samoan gafa, the artist renders her feelings and sense of the world into digitally collaged compositions to ask: how do we meet each other as the moana again?

Etanah Lalau-Talapa is a multidisciplinary artist and curator of Afega and Sa'anapu heritage from Samoa. With a Bachelor of Design in Spatial Design from College of Creative Arts at Massey University, her work spans across public installations, digital art, mixed-media and a passion for nurturing community arts. Her works often explore motherhood, family lineage and lived experiences of Pacific diaspora in Aotearoa. At the intersection of discovering new visual languages that bridge traditional elements and contemporary creative forms together, her artworks reflect her upbringing and Samoan heritage. Etanah is currently working as Hutt City Council's Community Arts Facilitator.

Recent solo exhibitions and presentations include: Off the Mark(ings), The Physics Room Ōtautahi 2024; O Le Malamalama o le Loto Fa'amagalo (The Light of Forgiveness), Te Ara i Whiti Light Trails 2024; La’u penina, my pearl, farewell, play_station_space, 2023.