Pasifika Art: Reflection, Revival, (R)evolution is a multimedia project grounded in the Samoan cultural practices of talanoa and teu le vā, meaning talk story and to care for the space that connects us. EPIC understands the critical role that art plays in articulating the realities of our communities while also creating space for dreaming of radically different futures

Reflection has a duality that speaks to the need for PI’s to be seen and be in critical dialogue about our roles in social justice movements. Revival speaks to healing and the renewed energy that elders and youth are feeling in response to the pandemic and racial justice uprisings. (R)evolution is both a call to action and a meditation on the changes our communities have undergone due to colonization as well as the conscious decisions younger generations are making about what parts of culture to preserve and evolve. 

What We Heard 

The EPIC team crowdsourced responses to prompts issued through Instagram asking: Can you envision a world without police/prisons? Who or what makes you feel safe? 

WE TAKE CARE OF US. When asked what makes them feel safe, respondents told us about sisters, siblings, prayer circles, parents, friends, and family. Hundreds of times they named people and not systems. It’s clear that the abolition we want will require deep relationships that center community and connection. 

THE FUTURE WE WANT IS POSSIBLE. Though a strong majority of our respondents want abolition, the current state of the world has made it feel unattainable. We want to illustrate that it’s not only possible, in many ways it is already here. 

TOGETHER, WE HAVE THE POWER. This message and framework comes directly from Culture Surge’s The Storytellers’ Guide to Changing Our World. We disrupt traditional notions of power that are exploitative and instead inspire movement building towards a collective power because we know that liberation will require all of us. 

Click here to view the Art Gallery, including film screenings, commissioned artists, and an art contest.