CONTEMPORARY TONGAN NGATU ART

Tongan ngatu makers collaborate with painters and even graffiti artists to create tapa cloth that includes non-traditional imagery (portraits of Queen Sālote or references to rugby heroes) alongside classic motifs. Some oversized ngatu become community projects to commemorate events (like coronations) with modern flair. This inclusive evolution of ngatu shows how a venerable art can absorb present history, keeping it central to Tongan life and identity while engaging younger generations and international admirers with its sheer scale and cultural gravitas.