16 Female Artists

Talk us through the artwork you have created for WRWC 2025. How is your culture or heritage featured?



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“...The composition is intentionally layered and dynamic, reflecting the energy of both Japan and rugby itself. However, I balanced that movement with a restrained color palette to maintain a sense of harmony. I incorporated traditional symbols like the chrysanthemum, pheasant, koi fish, and Mount Fuji to honor Japan’s heritage. At the same time, I infused elements of pop culture - Godzilla, sushi, and maneki-neko - to create a playful contrast. To me, Japan is a beautiful blend of history and modernity, and I wanted to bring that duality into this piece.”

What are you most excited about when it comes to the finished animated piece that includes 16 other international female artists?



"I find it super interesting to have different visions come together in the same piece and the diversity that creates, especially from a female perspective. As we would say in Basque, Gora neskak!”

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What interested you about this particular project for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025? Why did you want to get involved?



It is an honour to be asked to create something that will not only represent our beloved country Samoa but also the journey of our talented team to the Women’s Rugby World Cup. I wanted to get involved to support the growth of Women’s Rugby not only internationally but especially in Samoa where we have limited resources yet continue to strive for success. I was also excited to be part of a global all female project in an area that has historically been male dominated – as a daughter of Samoa it is a privilege to be able to contribute an artwork by tama’ita’i Samoa, for tamaita’i Samoa.

What was your inspiration for getting started and how did you come up with your concept?



” I really wanted to create a joyful illustration, full of life. I still had the images of the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Paris in mind and it really inspired me. My illustration represents an imaginary moment, where the players of the French team would take the boat to go to England.”

Talk us through the artwork you have created for WRWC 2025. How is your culture or heritage featured?


"... In my work, I’m often drawn to cryptic imagery, using metaphors and hidden symbols, but in this case, I wanted the message to be clear and accessible to everyone. It’s like my personal postcard from Italy. That’s why I chose to play with what might be considered clichés, which, at the same time, are easily recognizable to everyone. The key was not to reduce them to something superficial, but rather to use them as a way to highlight the richness and diversity that make Italy so fascinating. Starting from the center of the composition, the Colosseum and therefore Rome the scene expands to reveal interconnected elements representing every part of the country from north to south, from the sea to the mountains, including the flowers and olive trees that grow just outside my house here in Sardinia.

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Talk us through the artwork you have created for WRWC 2025. How is your culture or heritage featured?

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The Protea is the country’s national flower so I wanted to feature our national flower and the beautiful vibrant colours of the country. The country has such a diverse variety of plants. I also included “springbokkies” as we call them in Afrikaans which is one of our many languages in our country. The Springboks as we all know are South Africa’s male rugby team, so I wanted to bring them in too.

What interested you about this particular project for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025? Why did you want to get involved?



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Rugby is an integral part of community for us. From when I was little the sport brought family, neighbours, people together. So when the opportunity came up to be part of the creative team for Fijiana team I jumped at the chance! I love that I get to use my creative skillset for a sport and community dear to me.

What was your inspiration for getting started and how did you come up with your concept?



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I borrowed some elements from some existing works of mine, and had to figure out how to illustrate some Canadian visual themes using my style. I found a gif by an illustrator that animates a deer running and a trail behind him changing the forest from dark to light and wanted to incorporate a similar transition.

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Talk us through the artwork you have created for WRWC 2025. How is your culture or heritage featured?


I wanted the artwork to feel clearly brazilian, featuring tropical colors and cultural landmarks but also specific to the sport. Yara is a mythological figure of our culture. She is the daughter of a tribe leader that lives in the amazonian river and is part fish, part human, so I wanted to add in the fish tail and amazonian elements like foliage and the toucan as a reference to that heritage. Overall I think the piece has a brazilian vibe that is recognizable by all.

Have you ever worked on a rugby or sports project before, tell us a little about your relationship with sport.


I have worked on projects featuring female athletes before. I illustrated Mina Wylie, who was one of Australia’s two first female Olympic swimming representatives, for Google. I also created a large-scale portrait of Meg Lanning, the former captain of the Australian Women’s Cricket team for Victoria’s Metro Tunnel Creative Project. I never played any organised sport growing up and always had the sense I wasn’t ‘naturally’ sporty. However, as an adult I definitely appreciate the importance of regular exercise and all the mental and physical benefits it brings.

What are you most excited about when it comes to the finished animated piece that includes 16 other international female artists?

I have studied and taught a bit of illustration, my personal experience has been that the majority of the students are often women and non-binary, so it's interesting to me to see such a contrast with the industry, where despite this women are still proportionally underrepresented and I have seen figures that indicate female illustrators on average earn less. Even though there have been significant improvements, the same is true for women's sports. This all amplifies my excitement to be part of an animation that celebrates both women's rugby and female artists.

What was your inspiration for getting started and how did you come up with your concept?


"
I borrowed some elements from some existing works of mine, and had to figure out how to illustrate some Canadian visual themes using my style. I found a gif by an illustrator that animates a deer running and a trail behind him changing the forest from dark to light and wanted to incorporate a similar transition."

What interested you about this particular project for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025? Why did you want to get involved?

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" What drew me to the project was the idea of bringing together women artists from around the world to celebrate a major women’s sporting event. I’ve heard so many sportswomen say how hard it can be to be taken seriously - especially queer women, who are often passed over. So the opportunity to contribute to something that amplifies those voices felt really important.

Growing up, I was taught that being queer - or even loud, as a woman - was something to be ashamed of. So for me, seeing women take up space in such a fierce and physical sport feels like a kind of rebellion and celebration. "

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What was your inspiration for getting started and how did you come up with your concept?



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”The words within the haka of our team is where I found all I needed to get me started alongside the bold colour scheme that I often work with. The Atua Wāhine (Māori Goddesses) mentioned directed me to create something that speaks to the land, sea and stars and honours our ancestors...”

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