Postcards Unlocked #2  | Dessa Bluu

I’m proud as pineapple pie to be a part of this amazing “Postcards Unlocked” project which is nothing short of brilliant, especially during such a time of disquiet and change. I’m hoping everyone outside of my bubble is keeping healthy in body and mind, wealthy in happiness and together in whistling spirit.

I am a Mosaic Artist.

I am of Samoan descent and was born in Grey Lynn in the mid-sixties. In my early twenties I had an opportunity to live in Samoa for three years. I was extremely excited to live on the land where my mother and her parents had come from before they settled in New Zealand. I got to walk on the paths they walked and dipped in the same Piula pool where my mother had once soaked as a child; culturally that entire experience was unforgettable as well as remarkable.

Since then life has gone by and I’m permanently settled in a quaint coastal town called Tairua in the Coromandel. This is where I create mainly Glass Mosaic Art with flavours of the Pacific Islands. Incorporating what I call “Pasifika Panache” into my artworks is extremely important to me on so many levels but what has been my quiet objective all along is to inspire more Pasifika to take notice of this exquisite and ancient art form and make it their own.

What thrills me most about the arts is when people view my works up close and personal and I, in turn, observe them; and that has been ecstatically explosive for me, on the inside. “Art is my creative Hullabaloo” – that internal commotion is of sheer exhilaration. The positive and encouraging responses received have been absolutely priceless!!!

Recently I was accepted as one of the artists on The Mercury Bay Art Escape which is a very popular art tour in this region. Artists open up their studios for public viewing and the experience of welcoming visitors from all over the country and abroad was a tremendous involvement. The Opening Night for this event was awesome and I later referred to it as the “Art - Met Gala” of the Coromandel because that’s how I envision this art tour in the future. Fatu Feu’u was there - one of my “Art Idols” and in his presence I try to remain cool, calm and collected, when all I want to do is Siva Samoa and choo hoo like no other…LOL… because he reminds me of my beloved aiga from his motherland and his creativeness has always been so inspirational.

I will continue to grow and create my visions and who knows, maybe one day I’ll get to Siva Samoa at my very own solo Mosaic Art Exhibition.

Manuia lava,

Dessa Bluu

The 'Postcards Unlocked' Project featured 40 artists over 40 days via Tautai’s social media platforms as we navigated new waters during the 2020 Aotearoa Lockdown.

Learn more about the project here.