Vaiere Mara
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1936
Vaiere Mara | |
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| Born | Vaieretiai Mara 1936 Avera, Rurutu, Austral archipelago, French polynesia |
| Died | 2005 (aged 68–69) Paea, Tahiti |
| Resting place | Arue |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Notable work | The legend of Hina, Tahitian tamaara'a |
| Children | Mateha Gilles Mara |
Vaieretiai Mara, better known as Vaiere Mara (1936 - 2005) was a French Polynesian sculptor. He was the first modern Polynesian sculptor, and the first Polynesian artist to sign his works.[1]
Mara was born on the island of Rurutu in the Austral Islands. A student of the sculptor Joseph Kimitete who began as a sculptor of Marquesan Tiki, he quickly developed a personal style which made him the first modern Polynesian sculptor. He is also the first Polynesian artist to have signed his works.[1] He most often signed his works MARA V. Very prolific, he created numerous busts in white coral, as well as innovative Polynesian themes such as the Tahitian tamaaraa (Tahitian lunch), pig hunting and even bas-reliefs in precious wood.
At the end of the sixties, Governor Jean Sicurani personally acquired a monumental Hina. Known from a work by Patrick O Reilly,[2] this sculpture was preserved by the High Commission of the Republic and exhibited for the first time to the public in 2021 at the University of French Polynesia, as part of World Day art.
In 1978 Patrick O'Reilly devoted a book to the sculptor,[3] Bois légendaires de Mara, sculpteur tahitien, published by Hachette Pacifique.[4]
At the end of the 1970s he provided decorations for the Assembly of French Polynesia, on commission from the government of Francis Sandford.[5]
