Cultural loss is an issue that is experienced by many all around the world. Traditional values, culture and language are factors that shape one’s identity, without it, one cannot know who they truly are. I have placed myself as the subject to capture the audience’s attention and to comment upon the idea that even her “identity” is fading. Koau (me), was inspired by artist / refugee, Anh Do’s artwork titled, Art and War, which won an Archibald Prize in 2019. Using this influence, I adopted Anh Do’s material practice in order to create my self-portrait. In the portrait, I have utilised oil paint on a canvas along with found digital prints that portray aspects of my Samoan culture to state the importance of preserving my cultural heritage and traditions. The found prints are placed and embedded around the canvas to create a cultural link. The prints represent traditions that are slowly fading away and captures the beauty of identity. Oil paint is thickly added to the portrait to represent the seriousness of the issue. This artwork serves as a reminder to people to not lose a part of who they are.

My artwork, Life’s Journey, is a multi-media artwork, using a series of graphite illustrations that are surrounded by a battered t-shirt, plaster sculpture and metal wire sculpture. Life’s Journey, is about the purity of childhood and how with all the lures of negative influences, hatred and difficult experiences a person will encounter in their life, as a child you are purely happy and oblivious to these factors. As a child there is not insecurity, there is not depression, there is not addiction and there is not discrimination. Children are so pure and untouched by the world. At the core of every person there is a light, you just need to push past all the surroundings to access that part of yourself. This is represented in the graphite portraits of my nephew throughout different ages, representing a young and uncontaminated life which is captured in moments of joy and wonder. Each portrait is staged at a scene of a train station, to symbolise a journey. The three sculptures that accompany the three drawings symbolise different adverse experiences that can contaminate the purity of childhood and the potential to stunt the growth of a person.

Did you know anything about the history of the Philippines? Did you know about the invasion of the Spaniards, Japanese, British and Americans? For what reason did I decide to do this topic? I ought to represent the individuals who battled and protected the nation, yet to honour and give an insight of the previous history in the Philippines such as; Corregidor Island, Sandugo Shrine, Fort Santiago, Jose Rizal Shrine, Mactan Shrine and Sultan Kudarat Shrine, which is presently a tourist destination for people around the globe to get familiar with the Philippines and culture. My artwork represents culture through the flags symbolise the way of life of the Philippines contains a mix of traditional Filipino and Spanish-Catholic traditions, along with influences from different parts of Asia and America after colonisation.

My artwork Home and Away From Home, is a video artwork is projected on a white background with a clear travel bag showcasing objects from Australia and the Philippines, both of which I consider my home. Home and Away From Home is about what home really means to me and what my true identity is that is deeply represented throughout this artwork as a person born in Australia and living in a Filipino household. I was just 11 months old when I first visited the Philippines and as the years went by, the Philippines became a family ritual where we go almost every year to visited relatives on both my mum and dad’s side of the family who still live there. Almost every time I visit I get to know more about my family, culture, traditions and the places. Every time I go back to the Philippines, it is a completely new experience every time and that is what makes going to the Philippines so special to me. Not only is the Philippines like a second home to me but also every visit I make, it is like another journey calls to me like a whisper in the wind.

Family Matters, is an exploration of how different people can see their families’ true identity which has been hidden overtime due to experiences and societal pressure. The artwork highlights the importance of family and how we will always need each other. We know everything about one another and understand each other the most. The experiences and situations we have shared only makes us stronger as one and builds on our family bond. The artwork discovers the idea of how family identity builds one big identity that makes you who you are. This is represented by portraits of my family members who are the people who mean most to me. The colour on the eyes symbolises brightness shining through and the different aspect of that person comparing to the rest of the family. The text expresses how I see each member of my family, exposing their true identity and what they mean to me. The LED lights that shine through the text onto the portrait represent the positives glowing, even if there have been tough times. The size of each portrait symbolises our family structure; dad being the largest, then my mum and then my sister. The audio connects the boxes together resembling each identity reflecting off each other and forming one sound track. The audio is my family’s voices expressing thoughts on our family, my idea of my family and the best moments of everyday life that we experience. The box colours for each person is a representation of their eye colour and symbolises their own personality and their individuality within in our family.

Puzzling (2020), is a collection of works, featuring graphite drawings and digital drawings as well as found objects of children's toy trains. The graphite drawings were created using a combination of graphite pencils and graphite powder, with the assistance of blending tools and cotton tips to help create a seamless blends of tone. The digital drawings were created using a mobile app Autodesk Sketchbook. I added shadows within each drawing to add the sense of scale and show that they are existing in time as a movable being, not merely still in negative space. This collection of works explores Autism and its invisible nature. In my works, I have been able to encapsulate features of Autism such as stimming, puzzling behaviour and infatuation with a particular topic, which are common amongst many with a spectrum diagnosis. My brothers Finn and Bailey both are on different levels of the Autism Spectrum Disorder, and these artworks act as a representation of their identities that people outside of our family are unaware of or unable to understand.

My artwork HUMAN, is a text based form artwork. The materials and methods I used are lighting and the use of camera angles to illustrate a deep meaning through each and every shot or clip. Human, is about the various aspects that relate to the term “human”, and what it means to be human. This is represented by a variety of shots by exploring relationships, emotions, experiences and characteristics linked to humanism. The process I took to create Human, was that I initially experimented with ideas on how I could portray what it means to be a human. As an artist, I am primarily engrossed in creating works that invites the participation of the audience to the same extent as my involvement in the production of the work. My films are set apart from other films, as they take a realistic approach on amusing, serious and inspirational situations, leaving the audience to ponder on the concept. My artwork speaks, not only for me, but for people who don’t have a voice. I receive most of my inspiration by exploring human as a subject or human struggles occurring on a daily basis and investigate further on how I can use those ideas and communicate the ideas presented as if they were the ideas of the audiences itself. Through experimenting with various ideas and storyboarding them, my art practice allows me to recognise what I want my film to convey.