Postcards Unlocked #33  | Mele Siniva Williams

Mele Siniva Williams is an emerging artist who is studying her Fine Arts degree at The University of Auckland. The Corrupted Candy brand was founded in New Zealand in 2018 at Manukau Institute of Technology, where Williams initially started her training for a career in the creative arts. Corrupted Candy is a creative outlet where Williams can create and find her identity in regards to her culture and heritage. 

She is multicultural with her mother born in Vava’u, Tonga who is Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian and her father was born in New Zealand who is Maori and European. With such a mixture, Williams is determined to find out more about her customs and traditions. Growing up in a strict household, once Williams left school she was told to become a nurse.  She did try nursing, however, did not feel that was where she was meant to be. With jobs working from nine to five her life had no meaning, apart from when it came to her own little family. 

When life threw hard decisions her way, she had the choice to either stay on the safe side or do what she was passionate about. When she first started to create paintings there was no meaning behind them, just pretty pictures. Now she is inspired by the histories of her ancestors to create artwork that has a deeper meaning, not just visually but spiritually showing Mana. She creates and incorporates her heritage, myths and legends into her art pieces, which range from photography, painting, screen printing, and designing. 

Her dream is to hold her own solo art exhibition, develop and shape her art into creations to share with the wider community. To Williams art is not just creating things but breathing life into art and finding comfort that her ancestors are watching her and showing her the way.

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.