Wing and a Prayer

Hot from the flames of the metal foundry, Isabella Lepoamo cast her grandfather's hands in bronze. The work, born from a fear of losing him, imagines the possibility of holding his hands forever. Here, Lepoamo turns the humble KFC bucket into a symbol of family gatherings and joyful celebration - those moments of shared connection over a fried chicken feast - transforming it from something disposable into something devotional.

Like an ostentatious champagne tower, this devotional pyramid of KFC buckets feels perpetually on the verge of collapse. The water trickling down is suavai (water) or the spirit of life, like the fountain of life that quenches spiritual thirst and promises eternal vitality.

As the buckets grow sodden with water, their gradual decay becomes a quiet reminder of the impossibility of immortality.

Growing up in Waihöpai Invercargill of Samoan, Scottish and Pãkehã descent, Lepoamo's work often explores the complexities of identity and diaspora. My Grandfathers Hands to KFC Fountain reflects her navigation between contemporary life and cultural preservation, with her grandfather — her strongest living link to Samoa-embodying that continual flow back and forth.

~ Milly Mitchell-Anyon