“ May I warmly congratulate our dear and beloved Ben for a job well-done and an honour well-earned. As a hard-working and truly visionary and imaginative artist, he rightly deserves both and more. Ben is of Tu'i Matoto heritage and always proud to be a Tu'i Vava'u in the art world.
Generally, Ben has been inspired by ancient Tongan knowledge ('ilo) and skills (poto) composed in Tongan culture (fonua / kalatua) and communicated through Tongan language (tala / lea). Amongst these is his specific use of ancient Tongan kupesi (complex, beautiful and elaborate geometric designs), as those carved on ancient Tongan weapons (me'atau), notably war clubs (povai).
He has definitely stepped up ancient Tongan kupesi to another level, where he uses new materials and novel techniques, in original, creative and innovative ways. By way of abstraction, Ben actively engages in the intersection or connection and separation of times / lines (ta / kohi) and spaces (va) by means of colours (lanu). Herein, they are symmetrically transformed from a condition of crisis (felekeu) to a state of stasis (maau) through sustained harmony (potupotutatau) to create beauty (malie / faka'ofo'ofa).
Ben is also inspired by red (kula) and black ('uli) -- which are the fundamental colours in Tongan arts -- specifically material (tufunga) and fine (nimamea'a) arts, On both symbolic and actual terms, red (kula) and black ('uli) correspond to time (ta) and space (va), on the abstract level, and form (fuo) and content (uho), on the concrete level,
Their use is most evident in material arts of tattooing (tufunga tatatau) and pottery-making (tufunga ngaohikulo) and fine arts of bark-cloth-making (nimamea'a koka'anga) and mat-weaving (nimamea'a lalanga) amidst many others.
Keep up the great deed. 'Ofa manatu & manatu 'ofa, ”