Untitled (from 'Lovely hula hands' series) 2002

These works communicate the strength of a distinct Polynesian aesthetic that draws on influences derived from the artist’s travels and her Rotuman, Futunan, Uvean and Scottish heritage. In this series, Sofia Tekela-Smith employs a traditional Hawaiian lei-making technique: using ribbon rather than feathers, the material is intricately folded over itself, consuming up to 80 metres of ribbon. Similarly, the status-conferring Fijian breastplate has been re-worked to incorporate abstract symbols from Polynesia as well as Scotland. Raised on the island of Rotuma, Fiji, the artist recounts that the bold red and black crosses stitched onto the mother-of-pearl shell emerged from an early childhood memory of learning to write ‘between the lines’.