I've always found it interesting that Gauguin is so despised among lovers of Western art - especially for what he did in Tahiti - and so beloved by Tahitians, and all Polynesians for that matter. I can't say I love the man but I too have always liked his paintings. I am as in love with the islands as it appears he was. Who wouldn't be? When I go home I am overwhelmed by the color and the beauty. I'm interested in the relationship between insiders and outsiders in relation to cultural identity. I wanted to play with the meaning of these paintings, because they are so political, and change the relationship of painter and subject from outsider to insider, to insider to insider. Here are 2 of a series of 4 and their originals...
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The following three pineapple paintings are a triptych. I am exploring the idea of authenticity in culture and cultural identity. I feel like there is a constant sometimes heated debate about what is authentic in Polynesian culture. And it seems like some people are insistent that there is only one "authentic". I chose the pineapple because it is such a recognizable symbol of Hawaii. But it is not native to Hawaii. And it has such an politically ugly history in Hawaii. But it is a symbol of "Aloha" today. Here are 3 different objects that can all be called "pineapple" and can be a symbol of Hawaii. One is from a farm in South America. One is from the luau section of a party store.
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This photo was the beginning of a couple of photo projects, one of which was comprised of many photographs of different people wearing this wig and costume. This was an exploration of how culture is appropriated, commercialized, and exploited. I was watching a film about Iolani Luahine when I thought I wanted to address this topic. Iolani was a hula dancer who was trained by a dancer from the royal court. She was something of a priestess of hula. Her dance was literally her religion. It took her a lifetime to master. Her teachers came from a time when there was strict protocol for dancers of hula. Not anyone could be a hula dancer. Obviously that is not the case any more. Hula no longer belongs to an exclusive group. Anyone who puts on a costume might think themselves a hula dancer. I also want to do some kind of short film where I play a dashboard hula girl. I just have to lose weight first...
