- Figure 19. Michel Tuffery, Tava’e ma le lua Solofanua at Brandenburg Gate Berlin (Tropicbird and Two Horses at Brandenburg Gate Berlin), 2011. H. 290 × L. 270 × W. 3 mm. Laser-cut comb in black acrylic worn by female dancers in the Apia, Porirua, and Sydney performances of Siamani Samoa. Based on Samoan selu pa’u/selu la’au, the intricate design echoes the fretwork on German-era colonial buildings; the three holes at the base reference German coconut plantations in Samoa. Depicting two horses from the Berlin Quadriga with a Samoan tropicbird (instead of the Prussian eagle), the comb recalls the presence of Samoa in Germany, alluding to Tupua Tamasese Lealofi II’s visit to Berlin in 1910. Photograph by Diana Looser; personal collection of the author, gift of the artist.
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