Fijian Arts
Festival 2026

A leading independent painter with extensive experience across the Pacific region and Europe, Mason James Lee’s creative genius and refusal to adhere to a singular style was on full display at the Alliance Française de Suva. Lee’s three oil paintings on display transported viewers across centuries of cultural influence and evolution beginning with Mana Lisa (2026), a DaVinci inspired renaissance scene recast in the Fiji Islands complete with Suva’s iconic landscape view of Joske’s Thumb.

The diptych pair Before and After closed the gap between history and the present with a confronting reflection on the light of childhood joy - Before children furrowed their brows against the beating sun, After they squint at illuminated devices.

A rising star in Fiji’s contemporary art movement, Alamanda Datt’s warm palette and talent for capturing quiet ordinary beauty has won her admiration from international collectors and recognition as an important emerging female Fijian artist. Speaking to Fiji One during a TV interview at the Alliance Française, Datt shared her enthusiasm for the festival and her painting workshop during the week:

“It’s so exciting to be part of a huge collaboration between many different art forms…we encourage you to learn a bit more about what we do, go home with a piece of art of your own, and the confidence to keep going”Alamanda Datt

Josaia Waqabaca McNamara’s prolific body of work and decades of engagement as a leading figure in Fiji’s contemporary art movement offered viewers an insight into the dense dimension of Vanua-inspired symbolism that has been the artist’s signature since the early 2000s. Together with four ethereal oil paintings painted in 2026, McNamara offered his reflections on the broader importance of platforms such as the Alliance Française’s Fijian Arts Festival for the creative industries in Fiji:

“As a practicing artist for more than 30 years now I have seen the art scene improve over the years with the support of governing bodies, NGOs and independent groups. We need to create a system that can offer more jobs and improve the livelihoods of all those connected to the creative industries. I am grateful to the Alliance Française for creating this platform which is a step toward that goal for us”Josaia Waqabaca McNamara

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A celebrated Fijian artist nationally known for decades of work as an illustrator with the Ministry of Education, Somumu has represented Fiji in some of the region’s largest art platforms including the Festival of Pacific Arts and two selections for the Beijing Biennale (2017, 2025). Having just returned from a group exhibition with five other Fijian artists in Pingyao, China, Somumu shared two new acrylic paintings at the Alliance exhibition, each unfolding a naturalistic perspective on cross cultural friendship in the same red tone as the blood we all share.

The youngest artist in the exhibition, Hefrani Barnes’ bouncy, youthful paintings employ a high-contrast pop style she first developed as a digital illustrator. Now an emerging contemporary painter, Barnes’ bright and often playful works pull viewers into a colorful world celebrating the artist’s Rotuman heritage and free flowing expressive practice.

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A multidisciplinary artist and designer, Carson Young’s recent large scale cultural heritage projects in Fiji, including the newly constructed 18 meter Bure Kalou at the Damodar Yalu Lau Village in Pacific Harbour and ongoing Na Waqa Drua project, have raised the collective bar in the country demonstrating cutting edge integration between traditional subject matters and modern artistic practice. At the Alliance, Young presented a selection of recent wood carvings from recycled timber arranged in a formation reminiscent of structural trusses which the artist described as “seeking to forge deep emotional connections that push beyond the gallery walls”.

Opening the Fijian Arts Festival on the water, participants joined the Kai Wai Outrigger Canoe Club at the National Sailing Centre in Suva Point for a morning tracing the history of the canoe in Fiji. The program brought guests face to face with a real Drua, the great traditional double-hulled canoe, and offered a rare window into the knowledge and craftsmanship behind Fiji’s seafaring heritage. Paddling out to sea for over an hour aboard a Fijian made va’a (outrigger canoe), the group returned to land to share a snack and reflect together.

Picking up brushes alongside exhibiting festival artists Hefrani Barnes and Alamanda Datt, participants gathered at 20 Desvoeux Road in Suva to discover the artists’ universe and the techniques behind their work. Guided step by step, each guest got hands-on with paint and brought their own vision to life on canvas at their own pace, finding a personal style along the way. The evening closed with a shared viewing of the finished works, and participants took their paintings home.

Led by exhibiting festival artist Carson Young, the evening invited participants to discover the tools, the timber and the craft that transform a simple piece of wood into a work of art. Learning basic carving techniques step by step, each guest shaped a personal piece under the artist’s guidance, connecting hands-on practice with Fiji’s living carving traditions. The session closed with a moment to share creations, and participants took their carvings home.

Welcoming a dancer from Manava Performing Arts, the evening began with a group warm-up before moving into the movements step by step. No prior experience was needed, and participants found their rhythm together in a joyful and welcoming atmosphere. The workshop culminated in a final group performance of everything learned.

Guided by illustrators Hefrani Barnes and Lili Finau, participants entered the artists’ illustration universe and explored how a simple idea becomes a finished drawing. Moving from the basics of drawing and character design to sketching, inking and colouring, each guest developed an original piece in their own style. The evening ended with a shared viewing of the artworks, and participants took their illustrations home.

“With art, the good thing is you can start at any time, there aren’t really rules for this, it is a way to express yourself and for those that are beginning use your art as a daily - that’s the best way to get consistent and just relax into it”Hefrani Barnes

The Poetry Shop is a literary collective that has been in existence over the past 15 years, the initiative’s core role is to host poetry readings and slams in Suva and Nadi in the Western Division. The dedicated team at The Poetry Shop work in their communities to raise money to run these events and occasionally publish anthologies, creating opportunities for aspiring poets and writers to be read more widely.

Peter Sipeli, a co-founder of The Poetry Shop and lead facilitator for the evening reading, shared his reflections after the event:

“The Fiji Arts Festival Talanoa and Poetry event held last week at AF in Suva was a great way to slow down and talk through our practice, not only by poetry recital but also centered more on what and why were we are writing, as well as what our writing processors are. It was a great, soft way to listen to poets articulate their creative practice but also express the events, feelings and ideas that inspires them to write”Peter Sipeli, co-founder, The Poetry Shop