WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - SHAR TUIASOA
Shar Tuiasoa
Illustrator
Tongan
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Tell us about yourself - where you live and what inspires you in life? What do you love about being a Pacific woman in this space?
I live in Kailua, Hawai'i on the island of O'ahu. My dad comes from the village of Ha'akame, Tonga on Tongatapu. He came to Hawai'i when he was 14. I grew up in Hawai'i surrounded by Hawaiian and local culture, but I was really lucky to also be close to my Tongan family. My biggest inspiration in my art comes from Hawai'i. Of course I am inspired by the stories of all our Pasifika people, by our origins, by our ancestors, and by our nature, but Hawai'i is what I am most familiar with. I am inspired by the shapes and patterns in our Tapa/Kapa and our Tatatau/Kakau. And I am also inspired by animation and pop culture. I love watching current illustration trends and seeing how they might relate to my perspective.
What is the style of art that you do and what is your signature style?
I think my art style can best be described as graphic illustration. I was trained in fine art and traditional illustration, but as I began working after art school graduation, my style evolved to a more simple and flat approach. Much of my art style is influence by animation and it use of movement and exaggerated shapes and colors. I love to draw the world I would like to live in which, for me, is a sort of animated, whimsical version of Polynesia. Something that speaks to our culture and also feels very exciting and fresh. I think my work is mostly recognized for my bright color palette and for my illustrations of Pasifika women and people.
What are the meanings and motivations behind your work? What lead you to focus on Pacific women as a subject?
I started to focus on drawing pasifika women because I quite simply wanted to see more representation in the art scene in Hawai'i, where I was born and raised. I wanted to walk into a store selling artwork and connect with the images on the walls. Brown, strong wahine/ta'ahine created from the perspective of a pasifika woman. There wasn't a lot of that for me to see growing up, and I wanted to see more Pacific Islanders taking up space in the creative world. I try to strike a balance between our cultural history and our cultural present, while making my artwork accessible and commercially friendly. Pasifika women are a natural subject for me, and I often joke that every woman I draw is a version of myself. I see myself in other pasifika women and this is my way of expressing our connection to one another.
How is your artwork influencing and connecting with people?
Being a pasifika woman in the illustration and visual art space is amazing! I truly didn't know we even belonged in this space. When I was a little girl, I NEVER saw women who looked like me, who grew up like me, in these spaces, so I didn't know we could be here. I also know that I wanted to be in this space, painting murals, creating illustrations for big clients, and sharing my art with the world. And I feel really lucky, because I think a lot of people wanted to see more pasifika women in this space too because the support has been more than I could ever ask for. And when I look around, I see a lot of other pasifika women who were probably thinking the same thing when they were little too, because the landscape is really starting to shift in a lot of creative spaces, and I am SO excited to see it!
How do people find you and buy your work?
I've been really lucky to work with big clients like AT&T, Target, Facebook, Apple, Old Navy, The New York Times, and Amazon as well as working with and growing with my local community here in Hawai'i. You can check out my website and online shop at www.punkyaloha.com (All international orders can be placed through shop@punkyaloha.com.)
I also have my debut children's book dropping May 3rd with Harper Collins, available worldwide, titled "Punky Aloha" about a little polynesian girl on an adventure to the corner market. Pre-sale is available now through most major booksellers.
