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The Portrait of Mai (Omai) by Sir Joshua Reynolds depicts a youthful Polynesian man who visited England in the 1770s and spent time on James Cook’s third voyage. The work has been the subject of UK government export bans, a feverish fundraising campaign, millions in donations and some panhandling by Britain’s elites, in a desperate bid to keep it on British soil. Daniel speaks with Professor Kate Fullagar, who’s written a book about the Raiatean subject of the painting Mai, and artist Reynolds, as well as Associate Professor Peter Brunt, about what Mai represents and how the historical context of the painting has been denied or ignored in the discussion. Rosa tours the vast Western Treatment Plant, where sewage and Art collide. The plant holds vital infrastructure that made the colonial city of Melbourne sanitary and liveable, and continues to do so. The plant’s history and critical purpose is up for exploration in a public art exhibition called Treatment III. Artists interviewed: Fiona Hillary and Edwina Stevens.
By ABC5
44 ratings
The Portrait of Mai (Omai) by Sir Joshua Reynolds depicts a youthful Polynesian man who visited England in the 1770s and spent time on James Cook’s third voyage. The work has been the subject of UK government export bans, a feverish fundraising campaign, millions in donations and some panhandling by Britain’s elites, in a desperate bid to keep it on British soil. Daniel speaks with Professor Kate Fullagar, who’s written a book about the Raiatean subject of the painting Mai, and artist Reynolds, as well as Associate Professor Peter Brunt, about what Mai represents and how the historical context of the painting has been denied or ignored in the discussion. Rosa tours the vast Western Treatment Plant, where sewage and Art collide. The plant holds vital infrastructure that made the colonial city of Melbourne sanitary and liveable, and continues to do so. The plant’s history and critical purpose is up for exploration in a public art exhibition called Treatment III. Artists interviewed: Fiona Hillary and Edwina Stevens.

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