7th Annual Tiki Night – In Search of Tiki in the Urban Jungle with Sven Kirsten

In the early 1990s, Sven Kirsten began his quest for remnants of the forgotten Tiki cult. Equipped with a 35 mm photo camera and the Yellow Pages, he set out to navigate the suburban sea of Los Angeles to document what was left of this once vibrant art form. With his professional cinematographer’s eye he photographed the neglected idols and their temples and assembled the results in his Book of Tiki, which eventually made Tiki a household word again.

In this presentation, Kirsten will discuss how he came to focus on the Tiki figure as the icon of an unappreciated American art style just before it was facing extinction and how his work was instrumental in creating a spectacular revival of this cross-cultural phenomenon.  

Just like in his books, this slide show will offer a cornucopia of visuals that drive and support Sven’s storytelling.

Originally hailing form the German port town of Hamburg, Sven Kirsten decided to make California his home at age 25. While he continued to pursue his career as director of photography in Los Angeles, his visual sense lead him to appreciate American mid-century architecture and design, particularly the uncharted field of Tiki style. After four books, several exhibitions, and countless lectures on Tiki style, Sven has emerged as the country’s preeminent authority on the subject. 

This program was organized by Phoebe Piper #1244.