Sione Faletau

Dr. Sione Faletau (b. 1991, Auckland, New Zealand) is a Tongan multidisciplinary artist based in Ōtara, South Auckland, New Zealand. His practice spans performance, video, drawing, sculpture, and installation, deeply rooted in Tongan and Moana cultural concepts. Central to his work is the concept of Ongo—the integration of sound and feeling—which reflects the holistic nature of Tongan cultural and spiritual life. He reimagines traditional Tongan patterns (kupesi) by translating audio wave spectrums into visual forms, merging ancestral knowledge with contemporary digital techniques.

His work has been exhibited both locally and internationally, recent presentations include: ALOHA NŌ, Hawai‘i Triennial 2025, Hawai‘i, USA (2025); Interlaced: Animation and Textiles ,Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand; The Polyphonic Sea, Bundanon Art Museum, New South Wales, Australia; and Ata Moana, MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri, Napier, New Zealand.

Dr. Faletau holds a Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Arts, where his research focused on Tongan masculinity from an Indigenous perspective. Utilising the Talanoa research methodology, he engaged with 142 participants across Tonga’s islands, exploring cultural identity through open and relational dialogue.