Post #374760 by Mr&Mrs BPHoptiki on Sat, Apr 19, 2008 2:51 PM

Just my own personal experience and opinions that I am speaking here. I want to reply to this point of view:

"we're not talking about Van Gogh or Rembrandt here, tiki art was POP art made for commercial purposes and often only distantly connected to any "real" cultural relevence."

This in not my recollection of the Tiki that I experienced during the 60’s. We knew the difference between PoP Art and Tiki, and the two were rarely mixed. There was a keen interest in authenticity and the cultural background of Tiki. Painted tikis, which were extremely rare, were viewed as a commercialized abomination. I understand that for some, especially those younger than myself, memories of garishly painted tikis were their first encounter with what was supposed to be tiki and it left them with a fond impression. All I can say to that, and please don’t take offense, is that what you experienced was unfortunately part of what Sven correctly calls “Tiki devolution.”

MrsHoptiki