Contemporary visual arts in French Polynesia: Beyond tradition?

Abstract

This thesis discusses contemporary visual arts in French Polynesia through the practice of four artists living and practising in Tahiti and Mo’orea, who are not native Polynesians, or even born there, yet whose work is dependent on its relationship to Polynesian culture. The discussion of the relationship established to the environment and local culture by Hervé Fay, Andreas Dettloff, Jonathan Mencarelli and Jean-Paul Forest tackles key notions at stake in art history, and in cultural and heritage studies in general. Through a detailed discussion of selected artworks, this thesis examines questions of ethnicity, legitimacy, and appropriation of culture; the definition of artistic categories whether embedded with Western or Pacific considerations; and the institutional representation of contemporary visual arts in Tahiti. It opens with the first ‘Tahitian Pavilion’ presented at the 2007 Venice Biennale, an ironic and critical initiative by two of the selected artists, which focuses on the lack of institutional representation and official support for contemporary visual arts in French Polynesia, and raises many of the themes of the thesis. This thesis gives attention to an area which remains generally underrepresented in academic fields, while privileging a complementary approach that reflects both Western and indigenous viewpoints. The concerns at stake in the approaches found in the artists’ practice are informed by debates around postcolonialism, indigenous rights, and auto-determination over cultural heritage, as well as bicultural concepts in Aotearoa New Zealand where this thesis has been written. Yet the confrontation of pre-conceptions developed in the Tahitian context questions the relevance of such interrogations in this environment. This is addressed in a section that outlines the historical and cultural background of French Polynesia, providing a context for the artists’ practices, and highlighting some of the characteristics specific to the local environment. These issues were also explored through conversations with the artists and local cultural actors, who form part of their audience. The work of the four artists shows their dependence on Polynesian culture in very different ways, from styles and motifs to technical processes, content, and local environment. The identification of forms appropriated by them reveals a major tendency to engage with Marquesan repertoire. Colonisation and its impacts on local cultures throws light on this, and highlights how the traditional use of specific motifs was altered, thus potentially changing how one might define the nature and impact of contemporary cultural appropriation by non-indigenous artists. Beyond French Polynesia where the artists established strong links, which can explain, even perhaps justify, their dependence on local culture, however, a more problematic wider appropriation of other cultural elements, such as Māori forms, adds another dimension to the debate.