Greg Semu
New Zealand b.1971
Self portrait with pe'a (side view)
1995, printed 2004
Gelatin silver photograph on paper
59.2 x 49.2cm
Purchased 2004. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Greg Semu
Self portrait with pe’a 1995, printed 2004
Greg Semu was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1971, and is of Samoan heritage. In this set of four self-portraits, Semu addresses the nineteenth-century photographic archive on Samoa in a direct and personal way.
Semu underwent the painful and deeply spiritual process of Samoan full-body tattooing, called pe’a, at a young age. In this practice, a sharp, comb-like instrument is dipped in ink and hammered into the flesh to create intricate designs. The pe’a translates as ‘flying fox’ in the Samoan language and refers, amongst other things, to the way that the tattoo design encircles the human body like the wings of a bat.
As an initiation ritual, the pe’a is a mark of deference to one’s elders and customs. Originally, the tatau (tattoo) was an etched armour for Samoan warriors, but now its main purpose is strong cultural affirmation. Inscribed across Semu’s flesh are the genealogies of Samoan families and the story of their navigation across the Pacific. Semu has also chosen to wear extended versions of the taulima (armband), a sign which is the most visible and common identifier of Samoan youth in the Pacific.
On another level, the photographs refer to depictions of Pacific tattooing by European explorers, in which the subjects appear as specimens. By replicating such poses, Semu comments on the residues of colonialism and creates new meanings for the tattooed Samoan body.
