What, where, when
holidays were working holidays,’’ she says.
It was a tough, tiring way to earn money to help make ends meet for the family but MageleSuamasi says she and her brothers and sisters look back fondly on those days.
Working on the art piece has been a journey of ‘‘family rediscovery, almost Iwould say preservation of our family history’’, she says.
‘‘I remember the unpacking of the clippers, the sound of them as we worked, and then the lunch breaks, cordial and corned beef. They were good times.’’ For her parents, from Samoa, the chance to get back to working on the land was something they
■ Heterodox Us
■ Franklin Arts Centre, Pukekohe ■ Runs till June 18 loved, she says. And she and her siblings recognise it helped imbue them with a sense of discipline and work ethic, which has paid off for the family – five of them now have university degrees spanning a range of topics.
She is also delighted in seeing how the work has triggered so many memories for locals.
‘‘It marks a time for Pukekohe, being the agriculture epicentre of Auckland.’’ Onion Picker is only the third artwork produced by Magele-Suamasi, though she is not new to the sector, having spent 20 years working in art outreach for Auckland Art Gallery and art management. She became a fulltime artist herself in 2020.
Heterodox Us is a collection of superb artworks from 11 artists including Fatu Feu’u, Dagmar Dyck and Delicia Sampero, curated by Annie Bradley and renowned artist Andy Leleisi’uao.