The aim of the Oceanic Art Society is to further the understanding and appreciation of Oceanic art. The focus is on the traditional and contemporary art of the indigenous peoples of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia. We hold regular presentations and seminars, and an annual Forum; we publish a quarterly Journal and send free newsletters to interested subscribers, worldwide.
OAS Journal Stories.
The latest stories, reviews and more from the Oceanic Art Society Journal – published quarterly.
Living Archives: The F.E. Williams Collection and PNG’s 50th Independence Anniversary
September 16, 2024, marked the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence from Australian administration. To commemorate this milestone, the National Archives of Australia embarked on …
Tiki in Architecture
Carved anthropomorphic figures of Pacific Oceania are known by the general term of tiki. Their place in protohistoric architecture was first recorded in the accounts of explorers, scientific observers …
Where Taiwan Meets the World – Contemporary Museology of Oceania
You have to travel to the southeast of the island of Taiwan, to Taitung, to see this remarkably up-to-date Museum of Prehistory. But for Oceanic arts, culture and anthropology buffs, it is very much …
Living Art Papua New Guinea
The title of this book summarises so simply but accurately the contents of this important book that was launched at the Oceanic Art Society’s XIII Forum “Papua New Guinea Art: Past, Present, Future” …
Emeritus Professor Roger Byard AC PSM
Meet Our Members I grew up in Wynyard on the North West coast of Tasmania and spent many happy hours exploring the shoreline at places like Rocky Cape where I …
News Updates
Pacific Currents Speaker Series: Reimagining Arts of Oceania at The Met (May 13)
7 of 31,268 Join us for the next Pacific Currents Speaker Series. A link to the recording will be provided on the OAS website after the event. Reimagining the Arts of Oceania …
Oceanic Art Society Forum XIV
Forum | Saturday 14 November 2026 Burrinja, Victoria, Australia The Oceanic Art Society will be holding its Fourteenth Forum at the Burrinja Cultural Centre on the outskirts of Melbourne on Saturday 14 …
New Free Under 30 OAS Subscription
The Oceanic Art Society has launched a new and free subscription for everyone Under 30!People under 30 years of age can register for free to gain full access to 30 years past editions …
From the Editor
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The latest edition of the Journal of Oceanic Art Society contains important new scholarship.
With a focus on PNG art, Anna Edmundson writes about the projects undertaken by the National Archives of Australia to connect their collections with PNG communities both in Australia and overseas with a focus on the preservation and digitisation of the F.E. Williams photographic collection (www.oceanicartsociety.org.au/living-archives-the-f-e-williams-collection-and-pngs-50th-independen…). Living Art Papua New Guinea is also reviewed (www.oceanicartsociety.org.au/living-art-papua-new-guinea/).
Carved anthropomorphic figures of Pacific Oceania are known by the general term of tiki. Judy Robinson has provided a fascinating account of tiki in architecture. The introduction of Christianity in Oceania made links between tiki and architecture less evident in postcolonial era buildings as tiki carvings were intentionally erased from structures. However, in some places, notably Aotearoa New Zealand, the architectural presence of tiki has prevailed into the modern era (www.oceanicartsociety.org.au/tiki-in-architecture/).
Bill William George Rathmell has provided a review of the permanent Austronesian Hall in the Museum of Prehistory located in Taitung in the south of Taiwan focuses on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples’ own explorer settler history as the birthplace of the Oceanic culture that 4000 or more years ago began to spread over Island South East Asia and the Pacific (www.oceanicartsociety.org.au/where-taiwan-meets-the-world-contemporary-museology-of-oceania/).
Have you checked out back copies of the Journal yet?
While latest Journals are only available online to members, earlier Journals are available online (www.oceanicartsociety.org.au/category/journal-stories/).
We are a small group of volunteers who are supporting the appreciation of Oceanic Art both old and new. We are always looking for new members and new volunteers.
If you are not already a financial member of the Oceanic Art Society (OAS), please consider supporting the ongoing work of the OAS by joining today.
www.oceanicartsociety.org.au/memberships/
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Melanesian Swag: Karl Nauer’s Photographs in the Colonial “South Seas”
Visual Essay
The Melanesian Archivist blog
An official ceremony was held at the Südsee-Sammlung Obergünzburg in April 2026 to mark the completion of six years of provenance research undertaken of the collection of Karl Nauer. At the invitation of Martina Kleinert, curator at the Südsee-Sammlung Obergünzburg who led the provenance research project, Tolai born, Papua New Guinean-Australian artist, museum professional, and researcher Lisa Hilli presented a pre-recorded video speech as she contributed to the provenance research as part of her fellowship with the German Maritime Museum and the North German Lloyd Colonial Research project in collaboration with Historian Tobias Goebel.
www.instagram.com/p/DXWs69kjCz6/?img_index=3&igsh=MXQ4c21yMXJtazI1Zg==
Lisa spent time thinking about maritime infrastructure of the Pacific and she was interested in who was looking after Nauer’s plantation on her homelands of Rabaul while he was busy serving as captain about the NDL ships, the Sumatra and later the Prinz Waldemar.
You may be interested in reading Lisa’s just published visual essay on a series of images that Karl Nauer captured of Melanesian men in Rabaul, as Lisa says, “they are like nothing I’ve ever seen before”.
lisahilli.com/2026/05/05/melanesian-swag/
Lisa Hilli and Tobias Goebel reviewing Karl Nauer's photo collection in Obergünzburg 2022.
Photo by Martina Kleinert
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Videos
See the latest videos form the Oceanic Art Society, including lectures, special events and more.
OAS Speaks – Ian McNiven
International Connections: 3000 years of shared object histories between Australia and New Guinea.
Professor Ian McNiven
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The aim of the Oceanic Art Society is to further the understanding and appreciation of Oceanic art. The focus is on traditional tribal art including contemporary art of the indigenous people of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia. Provide your support and become a member for accessing to premium content, event discounts and other benefits.