Artist: Kalani Tonga - with Kamila, Kalea, and Sofia Tukuafu
Title: Generations
Material: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 15 x 30 inches
Price: $500
About the artwork: Generations is a collaborative piece made by the artist and her three daughters. Wanting to share the experience of creating art with her children, the artist showed them how to blend colors and they worked together to make the background. Then, Kalani painted traditional Pacific Island patterns on top.
About the artist: Kalani Tonga is a hafekasi (biracial Tongan/Swedish) artist and published author living in Midvale, UT. She is the Director of PEAU (Pasifika Enriching Arts of Utah), a nonprofit organization geared towards helping Pacific Islanders and members of marginalized communities develop and monetize their artistic talents. Kalani's artwork is an extension of her "hafekasi weirdness," in that she takes traditional Polynesian patterns and uses them in unusual ways and with a non-traditional color palate. Kalani's artwork was chosen by Walmart to represent the community as a mural in the Millcreek location, and she was recently one of 30 Utah artists commissioned to participate in the Chase Home Museum’s New Beehive exhibit. The State of Utah purchased her New Beehive piece for its 123 year old private Alice Merrill Horne art collection. Kalani paints custom pieces by commission and is currently working on several projects for upcoming art exhibits.
