Lesieli Kato Kakala Tohi Tupou
Born 1944, Kapeta, Tongatapu, Tonga
Lives and works in Kapeta

Sione Maileseni
Born 1983, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga
Lives and works in Nuku’alofa

Mosikaka is a series of specific weaving patterns and techniques found only in Tonga, using coconut husk fibres. Historically, it was practised by select individuals who worked solely for the royal family to produce durable, ornate baskets and containers to hold precious items. Lesieli Tupou has led the process of reviving mosikaka weaving techniques since the 1960s and is known as a master weaver and mosikaka expert. Sione Maileseni is Lesieli’s only male weaving student, who has taken up the practice with skill and passion alongside a dynamic exploration of other weaving techniques involving kafa (coconut sennit), a highly regarded resource in the Pacific.

Tupou and Maileseni explore how these distinctive forms of coconut fibre weaving can be used to make functional objects (from fans to imperial robes and headdresses), while experimenting with customary forms and innovative techniques. This body of work sheds light on the symbolic potency and exceptional skill inherent in these time-consuming and delicate artforms. Reflecting on changing value systems in Tongan society, their works touch on ideas of sovereignty within the last remaining, yet quickly evolving, Pacific monarchy.