Enhanced with a few of my original paintings, this essay explores various notions of a tropical paradise in the Western imagination. Secondly, it traces some of the implications for the respective people and country. The work draws on my personal experiences, research and study in several Western arts institutions as well as in former, European colonies in the tropics. At the discussion's centre, are experiences and pursuits of Paul Gauguin, a noted seeker of paradise? The essay further

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... how colonial perceptions and perspectives have influenced and continue to impact the socio-economic and cultural production of 'tourism products' in small island developing states (SIDS), such as Jamaica and some other countries in the Caribbean.