Born in 1964 in Saint
Symphorien-sur-Coise, a village near Lyon in France, Isabelle
Staron-Tutugoro is a self-taught artist. Since 1996,
Staron-Tutugoro has lived in the village of Poindimié, Northern
Province, New Caledonia, surrounded by the vibrant and historic
Kanak culture. This exposure, combined with an intense interest in
indigenous symbolism in the form of rock-carved petroglyphs, has
led her to explore other Pacific Island cultures. The past seven
years have been spent researching petroglyphs in New Caledonia,
Samoa, Cook Islands, Tasmania, Australia, Hawaii, Easter Island,
Vanuatu and Tahiti.
Staron-Tutugoro utilises
representations of petroglyphs found in her family's ancestral
lands in the Nambai valley, North-East New Caledonia as repetitive
motifs in her woodcuts and mixed media paintings. These petroglyph
motifs are arranged around common thematic elements such as the
anthropomorphic or native New Caledonian religious iconography. As
Staron-Tutugoro explains:
I believe these petroglyphs were carved to leave us a
history, knowledge or a story regarding particular families, tribes
or clans. I interpret them through my works as different stages of
the circle of life: birth, pregnancy, family… I feel something
special, mysterious, and sacred in their presence. The rocks onto
which the original petroglyphs were carved are enormous, and you
can feel only humbled and respectful in front of such amazing works
- especially with the knowledge that they were created without the
use of power tools! I pay tribute to the culture and heritage
of the Kanak people, to whom I direct my work.
Since 2001, Staron-Tutugoro has divided her life and work
between New Caledonia and New Zealand, where she has the mentorship
and support of renowned Samoan-NZ artist Fatu Feu'u, considered the
father of contemporary Pacific art. She has exhibited her work in
New Zealand, the South Pacific and Europe since 1996.