Synopsis
A story about motherhood, Back in the Water House follows mother-daughter artists Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies as their relationship is further strengthened by tapa - a Tongan traditional cloth made from the inner bark of a mulberry tree.
Statement
A flyer - that’s how I found mother-daughter Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies’ work. They were holding an art exhibition for Auckland Art Festival at the time I read their story. Sulieti and Tui are tapa artists – a treasured Tongan cloth made from the inner bark of a mulberry tree. It is constantly beaten until it flattens into a canvas. Then, they would paint the canvas using traditional inks, illustrating images that remind them of their heritage and their home.
Sulieti grew up in Falevai, Vava'u island, Tonga situated in the Pacific Islands. Sulieti grew up seeing women making tapa - it was part of their every day. They would make it for special occasions like weddings and funerals. Later on, Sulieti moved to New Zealand and started her family. She had two children, among them Tui Emma Gillies.
In 2014, Sulieti found that Falevai's women stopped practicing tapa-making. She felt she needed to come back. Along with Tui, they travelled to Falevai and gathered the women around. They started making a large tapa piece. Ever since then, they would almost always visit Falevai every year to try and keep the tradition alive in Sulieti's hometown.
Sulieti and Tui's contributions in the art world both reflect their Kiwi and Tongan heritage. Sulieti sticks to the traditional, preferring to draw images that reflect Tongan heritage - turtles, pigs, and intricate patterns. Tui challenges the norm and makes contemporary art on tapa cloth, painting portraits of her mother and her daugther, Aroha Heilala Gillies.
During the times I've spent with them, I've witnessed a relationship of pure love. It was that genuine love that made their works so moving. Their personalities, though different, seemed homogenous when they work together. Sulieti radiates a tender and pleasant energy. Tui’s sunny character beams with life. Along with that, I slowly understood why tapa is important to them - it not only pushes them to reconnect back to their roots; it also ties them together, acting as a fusing fabric to their relationship.
Back in the Water House is a story of a mother-daughter relationship both universal yet personal. It touches themes of motherhood and recognizing one’s cultural roots to align them to the needs of our time.
*The title Back in the Water House literally means “back to Falevai.” Fale translates to house in Tongan, and vai translates to water, hence water house.