An artist of mixed Samoan and European heritage, Graham Fletcher deftly manipulates the visual and material cultures of both to create works that are politically astute and visually glorious. Delicate flower forms, introduced diseases and affluent domestic interiors have all been carefully captured by Fletcher’s artistic practice. He has been known to paint the chemical structure of Western medicines as well as decorative patterns consisting of the frangipani motif. Pictorial clichés that represent Pacific culture are repeated and subverted- Fletcher sometimes takes his cue from kitsch, commercially-produced, low-art such as plastic lei or lavalava as well as decorative forms creating animal prints, jungle lines and sedimentary textures. Beyond his abstract patterning inspired by both souvenirs and indigenous art, Fletcher also depicts ceremonial masks and sacred figurines of pre-missionary gods and goddesses in their reluctant new homes whether they be museum vitrines or bourgeois bookshelves. He creates layers of thick, glossy surfaces, developing hybrid forms within his works. Fletcher received a Graduate Doc.FA from Elam School of Fine Arts in 2010.
