Post #388504 by woofmutt on Sat, Jun 21, 2008 7:52 AM

Considering these weirdo Craigslist "Tiki" pieces...

It's worth keeping in mind that many non-Tiki people who are even aware of Tiki often seem to regard it as any crude, primitive, or fantastical representation of a human face/form.

This piece from eBay was described as "tiki god":

(In this case the use of "tiki" was most likely a commercial calculation, but the piece sold for $96.)

In the non-Tiki mind the "math" often works like this:

crude = primitive = Tiki

It's by no means a definition of Tiki worth taking seriously but the notion is out there and has been for a very long time.

The above Craigslist piece could be considered Folk or Outsider Art (another definition that is well debated). In the minds of many people it seems that amateur = folk, folk = primitive.

And that's how the "fun" art project Grandma did at the Senior Center goes up for sale as Tiki Art.