Tungane Broadbent’s mother introduced her to the techniques of sewing the boldly patterned quilts known as tivaevae, when the artist was just a child. Tivaevae techniques combine sewing skills introduced by early Christian missionaries with the principles of composition, design and layering from Pacific Island barkcloth and weaving traditions. Tivaevae are often created collaboratively, either by groups of women creating a single work, or by women gathered in a textile circle making their own individual quilts. Both methods signify the importance of women’s relationships in the Cook Islands.

Broadbent creates tivaevae to celebrate rites of passage for members of her family, as well as for exhibition. Created for ‘The 5th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT5), Tairiiri (fan) 2005–06 was inspired by the pattern on a tivaevae that was gifted by her mother to her brother for his twenty-first birthday. Broadbent has used the manu technique, which involves the careful appliqué of a stylised cut-out design onto a backing of contrasting colour. The intricate pattern evokes Broadbent’s forebears’ weaving of rauara pandanus into decorative tairiiri (fans), an integral part of Cook Islanders’ famous dance costumes.

With its gridded design, Chalice 2019 exemplifies the ta’orei style, and resembles the patchwork quilts of North America and Europe, albeit involving many more small fabric pieces. The colour palette and ornate goblet motif refer to the importance of faith and chiefly lineage in Pacific culture, while Orchid 2020, featuring a design of clustered white flowers, highlights the cultural significance of plants in the Cook Islands.