Andy Leleisi’uao grew up in Mangere, South Auckland. His work is reflective of his experience as a New Zealand-born Samoan.
Andy was awarded a scholarship to attend AUT and received a Master of Fine Arts with honours in 2002. He has exhibited throughout New Zealand and has been involved in solo and group exhibitions in Australia, Rarotonga, Germany, Taiwan, and the USA.
Andy draws inspiration from pop culture, world history and struggles from his own personal experiences. The story told through Andy’s work reflects a united species that hold no concern for cultural, sexual or racial differences.
In 2021, Andy was awarded the The Senior Pacific Artist award. This recognises his contribution as a senior established Pacific artist in maintaining or developing their artform in New Zealand.
Link to an article about the awards -
