About – House of Teofilo

About us

House of teofilo

Fale Teofilo (translated to House of Teofilo) is the home to local Contemporary Art. Based in Brisbane, Australia & Auckland, New Zealand, Fale Teofilo aims to provide unique Art pieces for your home, office or personal collection.

Resident artist

Eric is a Multi-disciplinary Artist specialising in Painting, Tattooing, Art & Design. Dedicated to the beauty of the creative process & focussed on contemporary Multiculturalism.

Eric Teofilo

Born in Otahuhu, South Auckland & raised in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, to Samoan parents (Father Anetele'a Teofilo, Amaile, Upolu & Mother Alofa Teofilo Lefagaoali'i, Savai'i) who migrated & met in New Zealand in the early 1970's. Eric himself migrated & settled in Brisbane, Australia in 2004 & started exploring tattooing and absorbing the newly adopted nationality & culture in 2007 to present day.

With a keen eye for art at an early age, Eric followed this passion throughout his attendance at Papatoetoe High School and further studies of a Bachelor of Visual Arts at Auckland University of Technology.

Eric was first introduced to art at the age of 6 in the form of pencil drawings of horses by his Grandfather Fiso Tu'ugalasala Fuimaono. The story goes, his grandfather and uncles tended to their horses back in Lefagaoali'i, Savai'i Samoa prior to migrating to Otara, South Auckland New Zealand. Fascinated by this simple story of how these drawings yearned of a fond past, in those moments of memory felt like it was never to be seen again.

Question of identity first appeared at the age of 7 when he and other darker complexion classmates were asked to attend the primary schools assembly hall, where he encountered his 3 older sisters, who were also requested to attend the assembly hall for a school announcement. Which was to perform a Kapa Haka, Maori performance. The same afternoon Eric asked his mother "are we Maori", which she replied "no we are not Maori, we are Samoans and we come from Samoa". House of Teofilo is based on this foundation of exploration of identity, of history of migration and the story of Multiculturalism.