The Gauguin Dilemma
By today’s standards, Paul Gauguin’s relationships with his Polynesian muses would be criminal. So, can you love the art but loathe the artist? But then, what if Gauguin himself said “The work of that man explains that man?”
“Forget branded podcasts as PR: Gauguin Dilemma sets new standards. This gripping story interrogates the vast complexities of the artist, Tahiti and decolonization. Bravo #AustralianNationalGallery for taking this risk and hats off @audiocraftpod 👏”
— Siobhan McHugh,
Podcaster and Podcast Studies Scholar
THE BRIEF
The National Gallery of Australia came to us with a dilemma, as it were. They were putting on a huge exhibition about Paul Gauguin “Gauguin's World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao.” They didn’t want to shy away from Gauguin’s controversial legacy, so they felt a podcast could go deep in a way the exhibition couldn’t.
They also wanted a fresh perspective; someone from outside the art. So, we partnered with award-winning Samoan-Australian journalist Sosefina Fuamoli who hosted the series.
WHAT WE DID
Paul Gauguin changed the course of art history, but to many he's a monster. The modern master accused of taking child brides in Tahiti is long dead, but his billion-dollar collection grows in value while Tahitian people face poverty, environmental collapse and sex tourism.
To that end, The Gauguin Dilemma isn't like other docu-series about famous, dead, white artists. This isn't a celebration of "genius", and this isn't only for art-world insiders. This series hands the microphone to a wide cast of Pasifika people to share their stories and hold power to account.
This four-part series asks: Is it fair to judge history by today’s standards? What does it mean for Pasifika people when tourism is weaponised? And when you’ve grown dependent on a system that oppresses you, what does it mean to break free?
Throughout the series, we hear from the world's most eminent Gauguin scholars, a pop culture etymologist, traditional Tahitian knowledge holders, artists, and even the curator of a museum devoted entirely to girlhood.
CREDITS
Publisher: National Gallery of Australia
Host: Sosefina Fuamoli
Producer: Marcus Costello
Associate Producer: Olivia O’Flynn