Kalani Tonga Tukuafu is a hafekasi (biracial Tongan/Swedish) artist and published author living in Saratoga Springs, UT. She is primarily an acrylic painter, but also likes working with mixed media and digital art.

 

Kalani takes traditional Polynesian patterns and uses them in unusual ways and with a non-traditional color palette. She has murals in Millcreek (Walmart), South Jordan, and Midvale, and she was one of 30 Utah artists commissioned to participate in the Chase Home Museum’s New Beehive exhibit. The State of Utah purchased her New Beehive piece for its 125 year old private Alice Merrill Horne art collection. Kalani was also awarded a fellowship by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums and was one of 8 artists chosen to represent the culture and history of Salt Lake City in the Life on State project.