Raymond Sagapolutele is an Aotearoa-born Sāmoan artist and academic with ties to the villages of Fatuvalu in Savai'i and Saluafata in Upolu, Samoa. His photographic practice focuses on his heritage as a diasporic Sāmoan, with cultural ties to the history of the Pacific and the lands within Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. In his hands, the camera gains a voice and forms an oratory which connects to the cherished Samoan tradition of Fagogo (storytelling)

Sagapolutele has exhibited his artwork widely both locally and internationally and has contributed to publications ranging from Back to Basics and Rip It Up to the NZ Herald and Metro Magazine. He is a founding member of the ManaRewa art collective based at Nathan Homestead in Manurewa where he helps to tutor and support the local arts community. He is also a member of the graffiti art collective, TMD, a creative family of artists with members located in Aotearoa, Australia, and Germany.

Sagapolutele completed his Master of Visual Arts (first-class hons) at AUT in 2019, receiving the Deans Award for Excellence in Postgraduate study. He was also showcased in the 2019 Wallace Arts Award and was a finalist in the 2019 Glaister Ennor Graduate Art Awards. In 2020 he was again a finalist in the Wallace Art awards and in 2021 was a finalist in the Waikato Museum’s National Contemporary Art Award.

For Sagapolutele the camera has become a vital part of his ability to reconnect his art to his heritage as a diasporic Samoan with cultural ties that link him to the history of the Pacific and the lands within that vast ocean. The camera is how his visual language is given a voice, the method that forms his oratory and connects to the cherished and old Samoan tradition of Fagogo (storytelling).

'The narrative may change but the intent is always the same - honest dialogue with the viewer. My style of photography is based on observation with a little bit of the unconventional, this is not to confuse or frustrate but it is a method by which I empty my head of all the stories contained within.'

Email: rimoni@orcon.net.nz

Mobile: +64 21 585151

Landline: +64 9 2672911

Gallery Details:

Bergman Gallery, Auckland

Suite 3

582 Karangahape Road

Gallery entrance via 2 Newton Road

Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, 1010

New Zealand

Manager: Benny Chan

Phone: +64 (0)21324984

Email: benny@bergmangallery.com