Tapa: Pacific Style

Tapa: Pacific Style is an exhibition that contextualises the concepts, uses, and production of tapa (barkcloth) in Hawai'i, Tahiti, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, Uvea (Wallis) and Futuna, and Niue.

Tapa, as it is generally known, is cloth material made from the inner bark of various trees, including the paper mulberry, breadfruit, banyan, and other fig species. Each Pacific island has its own distinctive tapa practice, but the common link across the islands is the process of tapa-making. This involves tending the shrub, beating the inner bark, and decorating.

Along with tapa-making tools, the exhibition features historical and contemporary pieces including a Papua New Guinea mask, a contemporary Samoan wedding dress, a newly created Hawaiian kapa (tapa), and blue tapa from the Solomon Islands.

The year-long Tapa: Pacific Style exhibition provides an opportunity to highlight Te Papa's tapa collection, and both the diversity and versatility of this material. Each piece has its own history and is a reflection of the history of each Pacific Island, and its links to Aotearoa New Zealand.