Women in Polynesia have evolved since the era when the first European explorers discovered the mythical “vahine”, whom they quickly turned into a South Seas fantasy, definitively anchored in the myth of the “New Cythera” and Heaven on Earth.
Today, beyond the image depicted by painters and poets, the Polynesian woman holds a major position in the current society and is a pillar of the family circle.
To illustrate this, Joëlle Claudel Gandouin, through her paintings, depicts a Polynesian woman with natural beauty but also the protective mother of a family, loving and caring for her child. The painter remains fascinated in the midst of red and ochre hues that characterise her painting.
The Post and Telecommunications Office wanted to show the diversity and significance of women in French Polynesia. Each year, on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day is celebrated in the whole world. |
