Primal Survival 2006 by Rusiate Lali 91x122cm Cat 10589RL

Traditional village people believe that ancestral spirits live on plants, on wind and in the sea. Big rains and flood are caused by Ancestral Mermaids (who are represented in the lower right of the painting). There is a little angel running along the top left.

After the major flood in Fiji at the beginning of 2009 during which animals and crops were destroyed and lost, the artist was fascinated to see how primitive life re-emerged in the aftermath.

Rusiate has placed his personal trademark symbols on the upper right of the painting and traditional tapa designs filter throughout the work.