CONTEMPORARY SAMOAN SIAPO ART

Siapo (tapa cloth) in Samoa traditionally bears brown and black grid patterns with symbols of the sea and sky. Contemporary Samoan artists are using tapa in mixed-media art—painting over it, cutting and collaging it—to address modern themes like diaspora or climate change. They also experiment with brighter colors. This inclusive contemporary siapo art bridges old and new, ensuring this ancient barkcloth remains a living canvas for Samoan society’s evolving story, exhibited from Apia to art capitals abroad.