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Teva Victor (born 30 September 1971 inBora Bora) is a French sculptor living inPunaauia, on the island ofTahiti inFrench Polynesia.
Teva grew up on a small islet calledMotu Tane not far from the main island ofBora Bora. He is the son of famous French explorerPaul-Emile Victor.[1] He attended high school inHawaii and college inSan Francisco.[2]
Introduced to art through his father's drawings, it was at the age of 18 that a family friend, working on the motu, introduced him to wood carving. He is self-taught and liked to work on living or rooted trees. But from 2001, he preferred to devote himself to volcanic stone, which he describes as "timeless and immutable".[1]
Teva began a career as a presenter and producer of television shows. In 1998 he presented the programTeva, documentaries on peoples and civilizations living in harmony with nature such as theDogons, theWaoranis and theToradja, forla Cinquième.[3] However, he returned to sculptures. His sculptures are often two-sided faces. They are both ancient Marquesantiki, figurative busts ofVaiere Mara, and sometimes have an African influence.[4]
In 2012 he began exhibiting his stone sculptures at the Maison de la culture inPapeete.[citation needed] In February 2014 he joined theCenter de Création Contemporaine Teroronui Papeete (CCCTP) for a collective exhibition alongsideChief Miko,Jonathan Bougard and photographer Massimo Colombini. The CCCTP was a transdisciplinary collective. The same year Teva sold a work toJoel Silver and a sculpture toArnon Milchan.[5] In 2015, he sold several works toGuy Laliberté.[6]
In September 2015 he joined twenty Polynesian artists at theUniversity of French Polynesia for a collective exhibition supporting contemporary creation and artists. His works were exhibited alongside those ofChief Miko andAndreas Dettloff.[7]
At the end of 2015 he workedin situ with free access on a massive stone sculpture in the Maison de la culture. The sculpture was installed in front of the Grand theater of the Maison de la culture.[8][9] In 2017 he made an 800 kilo stone representation ofQueen Pomare IV which was installed in the Queen’s gardens in Papeete.[10] He has stated that his life philosophy is "nothing can match the beauty of nature. We are only there to bring a nod to our passage."[11][12]
In October 2021 he completed a head with immense eyes and a luscious mouth, a commission intended for the decor of a British mansion.[13] It is a large work, approximately 1.50 m. Its weight is between 1.2 and 1.5 tonnes.[14]
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