Bringing Tongpop to Ōtautahi

The kaupapa

Telly Tuita is all dressed up in his Sunday best and needs your help to get to Ōtautahi for his biggest solo exhibition to date, Tongpop Nostalgia at CoCA in November. This exhibition comes at an important time in his rising career and aims to be the brightest and boldest display he has ever created.

He is asking you to contribute what you can to help make it happen.

Tongpop Nostalgia will be the first time Telly will show ceramic works. He is making over 50 clay canines to form a wolf pack that will guide you into Telly’s fabulous Tongpop universe. Alongside this ambitious installation, four large scale photographic portraits will feature personifications of the four seasons. Expect meticulously crafted costumes and fantastical set design. A few more surprises will follow - Tongpop is known for the unexpected!

Why should you back Telly Tuita?

This elaborate exhibition will only be made possible with your support. Telly is hoping he will be able to go above and beyond to realise this next iteration and show Ōtautahi Christchurch just what Tongpop is all about. 

About Telly Tuita

Wellington-based artist Telly Tuita was born in Tonga and immigrated to Sydney at age nine. Living in Australia for most of his life, Tuita’s disconnect from his Tongan heritage has long informed his practice. Exploring his cultural identity and complex relationship with his ancestral home has led him to form a distinct visual language, Tongpop. Tongpop is Tuita’s self-described hybrid aesthetic, born from the artist’s love of bright bold hues, alongside traditional Tongan patterns and iconography. Telly has shown at Objectspace in Tāmaki Makaurau and Precinct35 in Pōneke. Tongpop Nostalgia will be the artist’s first exhibition in Te Waipounamu.