Neo-Polynesian artist Bobby Holcomb, herald of cultural renewal in French Polynesia

Abstract

Abstract This article seeks to provide answers to questions concerning the confrontation between contemporary art and indigenous culture in French Polynesia. Observing the contemporary art world of Tahiti and its islands nowadays allows one to see how artists – whether Mā’ohi (of Polynesian descent) or those of different ancestry – insert themselves into a unified contemporary culture. The article specifically examines the place of artist Bobby Holcomb and the impact he has had on re-evaluating and redefining the local art world. Through his artistic approach, he has fostered the emergence of a new kind of relationship between contemporary art and Polynesian society. The discussion moves from the affirmation of Mā’ohi identity to the recognition of Holcomb as one of the first neo-Polynesian artists. With Holcomb, the Mā’ohi artist no longer stands alone in spreading his culture and traditions, whether past or present, but is accompanied by people who may be defined as neo-Polynesians, people who, like this foreign-born artist, contribute to define, on a daily basis, what it means to live in French Polynesia.