Abstract
This paper draws on Besnier’s (1997) study of gender liminality in urban Tonga to position service as a central method in my practice as a NZ-born leitī artist, curator and writer. In Sluts and Superwomen, Besnier contrasts two leitī figures: Vili, who challenges traditional gender norms through pageantry and sex work, and Sione, a professional tailor whose labour supports his family and community. These archetypes—the “slut” and the “superwoman”—exist within the same cultural framework, yet are defined by different forms of cultural capital and duty. My own practice is shaped by a similar negotiation, where image-making is guided by the cultural obligations bound to leitī identity; through service, care, and resistance. In a Tongan worldview, identity is collective, and queerness is lived in constant relation to kin and community. This paper explores service, duty, and functionality as epistemic anchors for re-imagining culture and tradition, proposing service not only as an ethic of care, but as an active method for occupying space and redefining the terms of cultural responsibility.
Presenters
George FunakiStudent, Master of Fine Arts, Whitecliffe College of Art and Design, Auckland, New Zealand
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
EPISTEMIC, GENDER, LIMINALITY, SOCIAL, TRADITION, DUTY, DIASPORIC, TRANSNATIONAL, OBLIGATION, METHODOLOGY
