Tokainiua Devatine

Tokainiua Devatine is a visual artist, a social science researcher and the co-director of the Centre des Métiers d’Art (CMA — Centre for Arts and Crafts of French Polynesia).

In 2005, as the director of the ethnology and oral traditions’ department of the Culture and Heritage Service of French Polynesia, Devatine’s role was to oversee the work of a think tank dedicated to the study of French Polynesia’s intangible heritage. Devatine is the author and co-author of several research articles on Polynesian artists and on Polynesian art and culture. His artistic work has been featured in many exhibitions in Oceania and internationally since 2008. He is also involved in a wide range of cultural and artistic events and co-founded, in 2010, Pūtahi, a network of Oceanian artists. In 2015, Devatine was one of the founding members of ‘Orama Studio, a collective of artists. Devatine also undertakes research, co-edits CMA publications, and is, from time to time, the curator of CMA exhibitions.