Journeys with Mai

Take a journey of discovery across four gallery spaces exploring the complex histories between Europe and the South Pacific.

10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays
Closed on Easter Sunday

Centre stage in the exhibition is Portrait of Mai by Plympton-born Sir Joshua Reynolds – widely considered to be his finest work and a portrait of the first Polynesian person to visit Britain.

Formerly known as ‘Omai’ in England, Mai (c.1753-1779) was a native of Ra‘iātea (now French Polynesia). He travelled to and from England as part of Captain James Cook’s second and third voyages, both of which departed from Plymouth.

Mai spent the years 1774-76 in Britain, and it was during this time that Reynolds painted his portrait. The painting was jointly acquired by The Getty and National Portrait Gallery in 2023, and this will be the last chance to view it before it heads across the Atlantic for American audiences to enjoy for a while.

Journeys with Mai examines ideas of power and perception and includes a range of historic paintings, prints and objects from The Box’s collections and on loan from national partners to build a picture of early encounters between Europeans and South Pacific Island peoples.

Lisa Reihana’s In Pursuit of Venus (infected) offers a counterpoint to many of these images. This monumental video work uses 21st century digital technologies to animate an historic 19th century French wallpaper, highlighting the complexities of colonisation and presenting a different perspective on these early European voyages and cultural exchanges.

Watercolours by a fellow native of Ra‘iātea named Tupaia, on loan from the British Library, present a reading of early cultural encounters and Pacific Island peoples from a different perspective. A new soundscape by Tahitian artist Hinatea Columbani records the making of tapa (bark cloth), bringing the sights and sounds of Tahiti to life.

Expedition into a Volcano, a new commission by Devon-based artist Mohini Chandra, responds directly to the themes of the exhibition, considering the voyages that once departed Plymouth for the South Pacific, Mai’s presence in the city as a visitor in the mid-1770s, and Reynolds’ local connections.

Archive and research materials from The Box’s collections that relate to Mai’s time in Plymouth and the city’s role in early encounters between people from Europe and the South Pacific are also on display.

Journeys with Mai is a national partnership project led by the National Portrait Gallery, Bradford District Museums and Galleries, the Fitzwilliam Museum, in collaboration with the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge and The Box, Plymouth. The project is generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and other supporters.