Tiki Art for the 21st Century

[The Hula Girl and Her Admirers by Thorsten Hasenkamm]

Experiencing the tiki passion is more than Hawaiian shirts, hula girls and fruity cocktails with colorful umbrellas; it goes a lot deeper than that. The craze began in the U.S. during the 1930s after Americans traveled and brought back tiki gods and mugs, rattan furniture, artwork and other souvenirs from the South Pacific. Servicemen stationed in Hawaii and other Polynesian countries during World War II were enchanted by the island lifestyle and wanted to bring a piece of it back home with them.

--Sandra Carr, Orlando CityBeat, 8.11.04

Read more about the state of tiki culture today.

Tiki art is alive and well on the West Coast, too. As well it should be since the first Don the Beachcomber tiki bar and restaurant opened in Hollywood, California back in 1934.

Today, you can check out the latest in tiki art:

The Shooting Gallery
Tiki Art Now
Showing Sept. 14 to Oct. 9
Reception Friday Sept. 17, 7pm to 11pm

Tiki Art Now can also be viewed online.


[Hot Rod God lamp by David S. Krys]


[Never Interrupt a Dawn God's Feast by Tom Bagley]

Available soon: "Tiki Art Now" a new book by Otto von Stroheim,
Forward by Robert Williams.


[Cover design by Otto von Stroheim, Painting by Shag]

The book is co-Published by Last Gasp and The Shooting Gallery

Click for more details.

[Tiki art and book cover via The Shooting Gallery]