Fa’amele Etuale, Remember Me

Fa’amele Etuale

Remember Me

Fresh Gallery Ōtara
Shop 5, 46 Fairmall
Ōtara Town Centre
Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) 2023
Aotearoa (New Zealand)

13 August 2021 – 5 February 2022

Through contemporary jewellery, I am able to capture the past and deliver it into the now. I use contemporary methods to tell my stories and through this heal and comfort others. The narrative behind my work comes from a place where there is great sorrow. Creativity and making is my lifeline and the greatest work I make comes from unbearable pain. That is how I have survived, and I am not afraid of vulnerability because it belongs to me.

The core of my practice is God. He gives me direction and confidence in what I do, and every opportunity or idea I have comes from Him. I also know this is much bigger than just me creating work. I have a job to do through the gifts He has given me: to share, and to reach people who I need to meet for them to reach their own destination.

My family are the paddles that help my canoe through the sea, God is the anchor, and my beautiful mothers and dad and sisters who have passed on are the stars I look to when I need guidance, strength and courage to continue this work. Every time I feel like giving up, I am reminded of my dad the orator, the musician, and the artist, who never had the chance to share his gifts with the world, and I realise the privilege that I have.

My husband of 21 years is Gasu Apelu Etuale from Tufulele. He has been the force behind me, supporting me no matter what, alongside four beautiful children. And then there are my siblings: the people that help with everything I do, who have been by my side through the good and the bad. We have stood united side by side in times of heartache and sorrow.

I love to work in metal to modernise and preserve the objects I create, which are influenced by my cultural identity. My parents migrated here in the early ’70s from Samoa. My Samoan culture enriches my work, and my Chinese DNA also naturally seeps into my work. I have no control over what is in my blood.

I will continue telling stories and making art until the end of my days. With gratitude and humility, I encourage you to always listen to your heart. It will never fail you. Whatever your story may be, don't be afraid to tell it. You never know who needs that message today.

— Fa’amele Etuale (artist exhibition statement)