How does Pisupo Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000) elucidate its Description?
Taking an influence from pop art, the work consists of a bull made of hundreds of tinned corned beef cans held together by rivets. Pisupo Lua Afe concerns New Zealand's questionable trade practices across the South Pacific, where it wields significant influence as a regional power. For Tuffery, corned beef (or pisupo in Samoan) is representative of the high-fat, unhealthy foods foreign companies have introduced to Samoa. These foods have led to disproportionately high incidences of diabetes and heart disease in Pacific Island populations, as diets formerly high in locally grown fruits and vegetables, seafood, coconut milk and flesh, have given way to cheap, imported foodstuffs. Neocolonialism is addressed here via the choice of corned beef; after Samoa's independence from New Zealand in 1962, food businesses in the latter country have greatly contributed to an unhealthy diet that many Samoans have fallen victim to. Not only is corned beef a favourite food source in the Islands, it has also become a ubiquitous part of the ceremonial gift economy.
Such brands of corned beef Tuffery aimed to criticise included Pacific, an Australian brand owned by American conglomerate Kraft-Heinz which specifically markets itself towards Pacific Islanders. It has been maligned for doing so, and also for its use of name "Pacific" as misleading people into thinking the brand is Pasifika-owned. However, the Fijian-made brand Golden Country was the one used in the art, but since the introduction of European cattle to the pacific has degraded Pacific landscapes nonetheless, using a non-European brand did not affect the potency of the message Tuffery was conveying.  The symbolism of the bull is used to portray both the animal from which corned beef is derived, and the strength and courage of the Samoan people to overcome colonialism. The latter of which was both a hallmark of New Zealand's colonial rule in Samoa after gaining it from German rule as a League of Nations mandate, and still affects Samoan New Zealanders resident in the country today. Tuffery was also interested in the impact of the introduction of cattle to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands; the hard, abrasive tin is used in the artwork also to symbolise the damage these industries have. The endemic plants, landscapes and waterways of these countries are still being negatively affected by this colonial decision. Additionally, Tuffery was interested in how processed meat products such as corned beef have negatively impacted traditional Samoan food production, and have led to a "throw-away mentality".
Fijian Samoans American corned beef Australia Pacific Islanders rivets traditional Samoan food production Fiji Samoan New Zealanders League of Nations mandate Neocolonialism Australian Samoan German rule Kraft-Heinz Pacific Islander pop art