In 1953 Queen Sālote of Tonga visited England for Queen Elizabeth the Second's Coronation. At which, she is said to have won "the affection of the British people" by riding to the ceremony in the rain.
It's a visit remembered in a large black tapa work or ngatu tā'uli - which is a royal Tongan specialty - by Ōtautahi Christchurch based artist Kulimoe'anga Stone Maka. It's on show in the exhibition What we choose to remember, at Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland until the 13th of December.
In this new work Maka proclaims Queen Sālote 'Kuini of the Rain' and it contains her own words: "If the people could get wet in honour of England Queen, so could I. For in the Tongan customs, one would never seek comfort in the presence of majesty."
Maka says there was a genuine respect and friendship between the two Queens that deserves to be celebrated in recognising both country's sovereignty and partnership. He describes Queen Elizabeth as 'Queen of the Dirt', recalling that she sat on the ground following Tongan custom on her reciprocal visit to Tonga.
These are key foundational stories for the artist, who lived in Tonga - the son of a weaver and carver - until he was 25 years old. And it's a subject Maka has returned to. It also features in the work he completed for the prestigious Sydney Biennale back in 2020.
In 2022 Stone Maka was awarded the Pacific Contemporary Artist Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards. He is celebrated for his contemporary work reviving black tapa, which In recent years has involved painting with everything from smoke to, incredibly, harvested spiderwebs.
He spoke with Culture 101's Mark Amery.
