It Takes A Village by Denver Loli

This portrait of my sister and me sits at the front steps of our family home, incorporating our home, our culture and our generational history.

I titled this piece It Takes a Village to honour the idea that identity isn’t just built by the individual, but by the many people who shape you. Behind the painted figures, you can see my extended family, digitally printed on canvas and revealed through intentional negative space.

We come from Samoan and New Zealand heritage, and my grandparents moved to Brisbane for a better future. This house, and the people in it, hold generations of stories, culture, and resilience. By layering painted portraits over family photographs, I wanted to show how deeply connected we are to our past, and how proud I am of where we come from. No family is perfect, but ours is full of love. I hope viewers can feel the strength of community and the beauty of growing up with your village right behind you.