The Faces of Tuvalu

The Faces of Tuvalu
A Nation's Portrait. A Global Legacy.

Capturing every island,
every face,
every story.

Preserving Tuvalu's identity for generations to come.

Welcome

August 6, 2025

To the Government and People of Tuvalu,

We are honored to respectfully submit for your consideration our proposal for The Faces of Tuvalu, a nationwide portrait and cultural documentation project designed to celebrate and preserve the identity, culture, and dignity of Tuvalu’s people at this important moment in the nation’s history.

This project is not a survey or data collection effort, but a respectful collaboration focused on visual storytelling, cultural preservation, and national identity. We envision a process that includes your government, your communities, and your voices at every step. Our intent is to work alongside Tuvaluan leaders, educators, elders, and youth to create a lasting legacy that reflects not just what Tuvalu looks like, but who Tuvalu is.

We are deeply committed to earning your trust and participation, and we welcome the opportunity to listen, learn, and collaborate with humility and care. With your support, this project can become a powerful and enduring expression of Tuvalu’s presence on the world stage.

Respectfully,

Daniel Farber Huang and Dr. Theresa Menders

Project Co-Directors

Is creating an artistic, historic Nationwide Portrait Gallery even possible?

Yes, because Daniel Farber Huang and Dr. Theresa Menders have successfully created comparable large-scale galleries and documentaries around the world for over a decade.

The team has deep experience managing high-volume portrait projects, earning the trust and confidence of the diverse communities they meet, including for their global portrait series "This is Planet Earth". Importantly, the team has a proven track record in project management, logistical planning, journalistic standards of excellence, humanitarian advocacy, arts management, academic research, finance, and media relations.

Huang and Menders on location in the Republic of Vanuatu.

Mission Statement

The Faces of Tuvalu is an ambitious and deeply human effort to photograph as many of Tuvalu’s 11,000 residents as possible across all its islands, creating an inclusive and dignified visual record of the nation at this pivotal time. This is a cultural and artistic tribute, an archive of portraits and stories that honor the identity, resilience, and beauty of Tuvalu’s people.

This project will result in a comprehensive, long-lasting portrait gallery available online, in fine art books, and exhibited globally. Participation will be entirely voluntary, with informed consent, and each image will serve as part of a living national legacy, preserved for future generations and shared with the world.

The Faces of Tuvalu aspires to be one of the most comprehensive nationwide portrait efforts to date, created in close partnership with all Tuvaluan communities.

Design concept for a fine art book series of the complete The Faces of Tuvalu.

Key Objectives

Photographing individuals across all islands and recording personal narratives with the help of local collaborators;
Creating a publicly accessible archive through digital platforms, physical books, and global exhibitions;
Preserving the gallery in long-term archival formats for use by future Tuvaluan generations and researchers worldwide;
Engaging international audiences across media, academia, and the arts to elevate global awareness of Tuvalu;
Promoting the project through exhibitions, publications, and presentations to amplify Tuvaluan voices;
Delivering a national cultural treasure that belongs to the people and government of Tuvalu;
Providing each participant with a printed copy of their portrait to keep, as a memory of this important time in Tuvalu’s story; and
Inspiring new opportunities and partnerships as the world comes to see Tuvalu as a nation of remarkable presence, identity, and voice.

Photo credit Winston Chen/Unsplash

Introduction

The vision behind The Faces of Tuvalu is to create one of the most ambitious and inclusive visual records ever produced: a full portrait of a nation, composed not of symbols or abstractions, but of its people, photographed one by one with care and intention. This is not a survey or a symbolic gesture. It is a focused act of national documentation, cultural authorship, and artistic expression that centers the lived presence of Tuvaluans as the defining subject of their country’s historical narrative.

Tuvalu holds an extraordinary position in the global conversation about culture, community, and resilience. Yet despite its increasing visibility in climate discussions, the daily lives and faces of its people remain largely unknown to the wider world. The Faces of Tuvalu offers an opportunity to change that and present Tuvalu’s humanity not through data, policy briefings, or aerial images, but through the direct, dignified gaze of its people. This nationwide portrait gallery will serve as an intimate cultural mirror, capturing not only what Tuvalu looks like at this moment in time, but who Tuvalu is.

Daniel Farber Huang and Dr. Theresa Menders are internationally recognized documentary photographers who elevate the stories of individuals, communities and cultures. The team has photographed thousands of people across the globe from bustling metropolises to some of the most remote places on Earth.

At the heart of The Faces of Tuvalu lies a deep commitment to ethical storytelling that honors the autonomy, privacy, and humanity of every individual we photograph. Respect for individual choice, privacy, and dignity is a foundation of our work.

The Faces of Tuvalu is envisioned as a far-reaching cultural initiative that will produce a comprehensive archive of portraits, educational resources, and globally accessible exhibitions. The proposed deliverables range from museum-quality traveling shows and fine art publications to immersive media installations and academic collaborations. The complete scope reflects the project's ambition to honor Tuvalu’s people through lasting, respectful documentation. Together, these outcomes aim to position Tuvalu as a leader in cultural storytelling, drawing sustained global attention and preserving its identity for future generations.

Our team brings proven expertise in managing the full lifecycle of projects on an international scale, from pre-planning through final delivery. We will coordinate the photography across all nine islands of Tuvalu in phases, ensuring thorough preparation, respectful engagement, and efficient execution.

To ensure the smooth, respectful, and inclusive execution of The Faces of Tuvalu, each portrait session will be staffed with a small, skilled team of professionals and trained assistants. Our approach emphasizes both operational excellence and meaningful local involvement. We will bring select members of our experienced team to oversee photography, lighting, and workflow, while actively inviting local residents to join as paid photo assistants, coordinators, and interview contributors on each island.

We respectfully request the Government of Tuvalu’s support in the following areas to help ensure The Faces of Tuvalu proceeds smoothly, inclusively, and with national alignment:

Formal endorsement of the project from the Prime Minister’s Office or Ministry of Home Affairs, Culture and Local Government, affirming its cultural significance;
Designation of a liaison officer to coordinate communication between ministries, island councils, and our team;
Formal communication to each island’s Falekaupule and Kaupule councils, introducing the initiative and encouraging local collaboration;
Cultural protocol and consent guidance, ensuring respectful engagement with communities in accordance with Tuvaluan values;
Support for logistics and access, such as inter‑island transport coordination, permission to use public buildings for portrait sessions, and interpretation assistance;
Coordination with the Tuvalu Broadcasting Corporation and other media entities to raise awareness, inform communities, and position the project nationally and internationally; and
Option for government funding or in‑kind contribution, including possible support through community development, cultural heritage, or small grant allocations; even modest financial support or operational resources would help enable equitable participation across all islands

This project offers Tuvalu a powerful opportunity to lead its own global narrative. This is more than a cultural record. It is a media-driven opportunity to place Tuvalu at the center of international conversation.

We approach this project in the spirit of partnership and shared cultural stewardship. Tuvalu has a meaningful story to tell, and we believe The Faces of Tuvalu nationwide portrait gallery will help amplify that story in a way that is both meaningful to its people and resonant around the world. We are committed to working collaboratively, listening closely, and honoring the guidance of Tuvaluan leaders and communities at every step.

With your support, The Faces of Tuvalu can become not only a visual record of a nation, but a lasting expression of its identity, values, and voice.