Salome Tanuvasa

Salome Tanuvasa is a New Zealand artist of Tongan and Samoan descent.^[1] Her work is part of the permanent collection of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.^[2] She is a multi-disciplinary artist and uses moving image, drawing, photography and sculpture. Her work explores themes related to her immediate surroundings and her family life.^[3][4]

Biography

Tanuvasa was born and raised in New Zealand; her parents had migrated to the country from Tonga and Samoa. She began her art studies at Manukau School of Visual Art in Auckland.^[1] After one year's study she transferred to Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, where she completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2014.^[3][5] The title of her master's thesis was My appreciation.^[6]

In 2012 and 2013, she was awarded the NICAI Summer Scholarship and worked with Fiona Jack on the Rosebank Art Walk and with Jim Speers on a project in Shanghai.^[5] In 2014, Tanuvasa's film work Expensive Moments was exhibited at a solo show at Gaffa in Sydney.^[5]

She had her first solo dealer show in 2018 with Tim Melville Gallery, titled In a Midnight Hour.^[1] Tanuvasa also works as an educator at Te Tuhi Gallery in Auckland.^[1]