Siga Vou! A new hope, a wonderful vision and the sun’s rays blazing down on the Pacific Ocean with a clear blue sky above.
This is a simple and perfect description of a family-owned art studio located along Nadi’s Denarau Rd, a studio which has been a hit with international visitors and provides an opportunity for local art lovers to sharpen their knowledge of art.
Many may have heard of this elegant business and the major artwork they have produced in the past years, but not many have learnt of the humble journey of the woman behind the success story of this family run company that has been around for nearly 25 years and produced high-quality handmade artwork from authentic local materials.
Coming to Fiji from America via England, Maria Rova fell in love with the Fijian culture and its people and married into an indigenous Fijian family.
Starting in 1997, Sigavou Studios began as a hobby for lead artist Mrs Rova.
“Over time this hobby and passion of Maria’s turned into a minor side hustle, which became her main hustle, and now it’s providing for not just our family but many others, both here in the urban centers as well as our rural communities who supply raw materials to us,” son Eremasi shared.
“Sigavou has grown from being a home-based small business to now occupying a large warehouse space that can be easily seen from any airplane taking off and landing at Nadi International Airport.
“Of particular importance to us at Sigavou is the way we source our materials from villagers and grassroots people, and many times we are sourcing material directly from the women in these communities. “These women produce the bark cloth that is found in nearly all of the pieces that Sigavou produces.”
Eremasi shared they mainly source their bark cloth (or tapa) from Vatulele, the island where their paternal grandmother hailed from. He said the company’s vision and mission held high values of development, and while it embodied mainly the culture of giving back to the communities around them, they also created high quality art that their customers could always enjoy for decades down the line.
Such dedication has brought miracles and many big projects through the doors of this family-run studio which in turn has provided a livelihood for many Fijian families connected to the business and its activities. Eremasi said some of the big massive projects have included art for the newly-renovated Radisson Blu Resort, which was an absolutely massive undertaking, with two large hand painted works of art.
“You also may have noticed that here in the Sheraton you can find art made at Sigavou Studios on the walls of each of the 300 rooms.
“This Sheraton project came as a massive blessing to us smack dab in the middle of COVID-19. This allowed us to provide income for 30 families from all walks of life, from all types of backgrounds.
“We had people from the airline industry, from the various sectors of tourism, grandmothers, people who came directly from the villages, who all found employment with us in creating the artwork for the Sheraton.
“It was a time of hope and joy amidst what was a chaotic and uncertain period for all of us.”
As artists, Mr Rova explained they have seen over the years that they have little to no representation to the many visitors and guests that grace Fiji’s shores.
He said while Fiji may have had many hints and flashes of its strong culture and its raw beauty in and around the country, art is not represented strongly at all.
“We do not have a national art gallery. “We do not have any regular art exhibitions celebrating our local artists, we have nothing of the sort.
“And so we saw this is an opportunity for us at Sigavou to share our passion for local Fijian art with our visitors to Fiji, while creating an authentic experience for them that is both unforgettable and enriching at the same time.”
Located between Nadi International Airport and Denarau, the business owners believe they are in a perfect position to offer visitors an experience like no other in Fiji.
“Creating this experience is something we have been dreaming about for years. And we’ve finally found the time to put all the ideas and wishes down and come together to bring this vision to reality.
“Driven by the passion and joy that we have for art, and the warmth and regenerative energy that art can give people, we at Sigavou Studios have created something that we believe is new for tourism.
“What began as the need for us to have an art gallery has morphed into a totally new tourism product catering to both adults and children from ages three to 99.”