LUCA
Deeply inspired by all the pasifika mermaids in my life, including all of you! This piece was so so much fun to do, and I hope you can really tell. I’ve named this piece after the hamlet I was brought up in, Mataika, Tongatapu.

‘Mataika Lagoon’ features mermaids, who all share the same moana who could be interpreted as a warrior, a country-proud glamazon, a loving daughter experiencing girlhood, a caring mother who means business, a fierce creative & activist and a deep thinking homebody who’s just happy to listen. Any of these descriptors could be any of them, and that was the aim! :) 🥰

I spent my days as a kid lagoon-side imagining making mermaid friends and being able to draw how I saw them in my head, each year that separation between my childhood vision and my skill inches closer, and after working on it for so long l’m now able to make art that means so much to me like this one.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do, thank you always always always for the love and support, Malo ‘aupito, ma’u ha aho lelei!

‘Ofa atu, Luca x
 
Luca Walton, an artist with roots firmly planted in the fertile cultural soils of Tāmaki Makaurau, often described as the “Polynesian capital of the world,” possesses a heritage as rich and diverse as his artwork. Born amidst the tropical serenity of Lautoka, Fiji, to a Tongan mother and a New Zealander father, Luca's canvas is a testament to the intermingling of his cultural background and the enchanting environment of his Tongan upbringing.
His artistry is deeply influenced by his early experiences, where the resilient and graceful Pasifika women played a pivotal role. The tender teachings of his traditional Tongan mother, coupled with the diverse perspectives from his three older sisters—each representing different island nations—imbue his work with a profound appreciation for familial bonds and the splendors of the Pacific realms.
Through his paintings, Luca seeks to compose a heartfelt homage to these influential Pasifika women, whose fortitude and elegance are eternally woven into his artistic expression.