Narsong Taleo was born and raised on Efate, in the village of Pango. He was a quiet kid growing up and used art as a way to express himself. From a very young age, he knew this was his strength so he continued to develop this skill by experimenting with various art forms. Today, Narsong is an artist, a musician and a surfer.

You may have seen Narsong’s work at local exhibitions and galleries. He represented Vanuatu at the 2018 Melanesia Arts Festival in 2018 and, most recently, at the Vanuatu National Arts Festival. His art can also be found in private homes and villas. One of his most viewed pieces was the backdrop for Fest Napuan 2019. “There was a big Respect campaign that World Vision was doing and I had designed their logo and so they asked me to do the backdrop (for Fest Napuan) and it’s about gender equality”.

When asked if he had a specific style, he described himself as a contemporary artist who likes to improvise. Narsong draws his inspiration from nature and its beauty to create pieces that invoke happiness and joy. He uses various mediums like wood, tapa and plastic and experiments with different paints. He is currently working on portraits as he develops the skill of capturing expressions. Some of Narsong’s pieces are on display at the Susan Bastien Foundation Art Gallery and at his art studio in Pango Village.

Narsong is also a self-taught musician who can play a range of instruments from keyboard, guitar, ukulele and saxophone. “I also tried a bit of the violin but it’s very complicated”. Like most musicians in Vanuatu, Narsong found it difficult to make a living as a professional musician so after performing with several bands in Port Vila, he resigned to just performing as a hobby. “I like just jamming now and I’m more focused on my art”.

The most recent change in Narsong’s life is the cutting of his dreadlocks which he had been growing for 10 years. “I cut it on my birthday, it was a lot of hair”. He first started growing his hair when he returned from studies in New Caledonia with Youth with A Mission. He was doing his last course on biblical studies after studying in Vanuatu, Fiji, Taiwan, New Zealand and New Caledonia from 2007 to 2011. “I went to study & volunteer (with YWAM) at the University of the Nations. When I came back, I decided to grow my hair. I wanted to cut it for a while but could never do it. Now I’m letting go”. Narsong mentioned that he got requests from friends if they could attach his dreads to their hair. “I said no, I burnt my dreads because they represent my past and I’m moving on, I’m moving forward”. When asked if he would ever grow his dreads again: “This is my new journey. Life is like art. I’m trying to live a life that shows people something positive, something different. I want to go with this style now. I’m free!”

As we prepare to celebrate the country’s 40th anniversary of Independence, Narsong feels that the country still has a long way to go. “Our country is struggling, hopefully we don’t get lost. We need the effort of everyone to move this country forward”. He went on to say: “Life is beautiful. Right now, compared to other countries around the world, we have everything. We are privileged. We have opportunities, don’t wait for things to happen, you make it happen”.

He hopes that one day there will be a Vanuatu Art gallery for artists and musicians alike. His one request is for the government of the day to provide that space for artists, somewhere to display and exhibit their work.