Post #730370 by Club Nouméa on Mon, Oct 27, 2014 1:30 AM

Tiki Signage and Graphic Art

Tiki photo plastered on a pillar outside a boutique, Promenade de Nice, Papeete

I was interested to see the extent to which tikis had infiltrated greater Papeete's urban landscape, above and beyond public statuary. Consequently I spent a lot of time wandering around, taking photos, and getting a mix of reactions from the locals, ranging from "who's that crazy Popa'aa photographing the tikis?" through to an appreciative honk and the "hook'em horns" sign from a passing driver who nodded approvingly at my tapa-style shirt (made in NZ circa 1970).

On occasion, the local signage goes so far as to feature an actual old-style tiki carving:

Or the tiki is integrated into the company's logo:

Sometimes the tiki image is drawn from the past, as in the case of this now derelict hotel on the Boulevard Pomare:

At this temp agency on Avenue Georges Clemenceau, in addition to featuring in the signage itself...

... the tiki is even etched onto the office window:

Tikis are used to promote the sale of all manner of products - sign outside an optician's:

While such signs are hard to miss, some are so small and discreet you can easily walk past them and not notice: a surfing tiki on a post outside a tee-shirt store:

And then there is the resolutely modern 21st-century tiki graphic:

The tiki apartment building is not only to be found in California; here is one in Pirae, on the outskirts of Papeete:

Detailed view:

The apartment building looks like it was built in the 1960s, judging from its general appearance.

And the tiki pops up in all sorts of unexpected places, such as (on a small scale) on the shelves of the Librairie Archipels bookstore:

Or, on a large scale, in a huge mural depicting a tatooed Virgin Mary on the Rue du Général de Gaulle:

So, above and beyond public statuary, the tiki is a vibrant symbol on Tahiti, featuring prominently in commercial signage, architecture and public art.

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Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas !

[ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2014-10-27 19:17 ]