Miriama Bono

• Name — Miriama Bono • Born — 9 July 1977 • Education — Lycée Paul-Gauguin National School of Architecture of Paris-La Villette • Occupation — Architect; painter; curator; cultural manager • Known for — Directing the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands (Te Fare Iamanaha); Polynesian art podcasts • Honours — Chevalier de l' Ordre national du Mérite • Years Active — 2002–present

Bono grew up in French Polynesia and attended Lycée Paul-Gauguin in Papeete. At 19, she entered the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Paris-La Villette, graduating in March 2002 with a specialization in territorial planning.

Returning to French Polynesia in 2002, Bono first worked as an architectural consultant within the services of the presidency of French Polynesia. She then joined the Ministry of the Environment, where she served successively as chief of staff and communications officer until 2004, at the onset of local political instability.

Back in Polynesia in 2008, she led the Atelier des artistes at Le Méridien Hotel in Punaauia and organized several events. In 2012, Wallès Kotra and Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu, co-founders of the FIFO – Festival of Oceanian Documentary Film, entrusted her with the festival's delegation. She helped open FIFO to other Pacific festivals (Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaiʻi) by supporting the PADISA framework. In 2015, she chaired the association organizing FIFO and became a technical advisor for communication and culture to the Minister of Culture, Environment and Communication, where she launched preliminary studies for the future cultural center of French Polynesia.

In 2017, Bono was appointed director of the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands, succeeding Theano Jaillet. Her combined background in architecture and cultural management was seen as key to the institution's renovation. Construction began in 2019; Bono oversaw the building site and coordinated international partnerships that enabled, for the 2023 reopening, the temporary return to Polynesia of 20 major objects from institutions including the British Museum, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, and the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Among them was the celebrated statue of the deity A‘a from Rurutu, a landmark loan that boosted the regional visibility of the museum, renamed Te Fare Iamanaha. In parallel, she curated several exhibitions, including the Polynesian representation at the Révélations art fair in Paris and “Maro‘ura, a Polynesian Treasure” at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.

In November 2023, Bono left the directorship to focus on artistic and curatorial projects and on promoting Polynesian artists across the Pacific and Europe. She participated in both Talanoa Forum initiatives led by artist Yuki Kihara—at the Venice Biennale (2020) and at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum (2023)—and contributed to international publications. In 2024, she was a speaker for the exhibition GAUGUIN’S WORLD: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao at the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), in connection with the Savage Klub and its founder Rosanna Raymond, and supported the participation of Tahitian artist Tahe Drollet. The exhibition later traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she gave a lecture promoting an Indigenous artistic perspective beyond post-Gauguin readings. She also contributed to curatorial thinking for the Queensland Triennial towards Polynesian participation in 2027, and collaborated on Tau o Mai | Journeys with Mai at the Fitzwilliam Museum (University of Cambridge) with Hinatea Colombani and Tahe Drollet (selection of works and label writing). She is also preparing, with the Tahiti Podcast label, a youth fiction podcast about Mai.

In 2019, Bono launched Tahitian Talk, described as the first native Polynesian podcast devoted to creative processes in French Polynesia. In March 2020, during the first COVID-19 lockdown, she created Parau Tama, dedicated to Polynesian tales and legends. Building on these experiences, she co-founded the Tahiti Podcast label to produce programs in a similar spirit.