Touchstones of Culture
Some cultural artefacts or events become touchstones of a culture. The elaborate masks prepared for participation in the Fire Dance Ceremonies of the Central Baining in East New Britain, Papua …
The Baining – A Night to Remember Part 2
Baining collection with field notes and photographs from East New Britain, continued from last issue. By Harold Gallasch Years of witnessing the Engini fire dance ceremonies of the Central Baining have made …
Murlapaka – A Kaurna Touchstone for the Art Gallery of South Australia
by Jim Elmslie At times, the landing page of the website of the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) features an extremely rare and culturally significant shield which also now …
Dr Dolly Guise PhD (1942 – 2022)
by Chris Boylan with the input of Dolly Guise’s family Dolly Guise, who graduated as Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) first female PhD in anthropology, lived an extraordinary life. Just as …
Adrienne Kaeppler (1935 – 2022)
Adrienne L. Kaeppler – an inspiring journey of discovery into Tongan culture, art, society By Mary Lyn Fonau Eminent scholar and great friend of Tonga, Adrienne L. Kaeppler died in …
Eric Coote (1941 – 2022)
Personal reflections from Crispin Howarth Eric and I first met when he visited Melbourne around 2001 or 2002. We met on Chapel Street and over lunch we spoke of nothing …
Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala
by Margaret Cassidy This recent exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria shows the works of eleven Yolŋu women artists. The works combine traditional fine lined detail on bark with …
ADORNED by nature: Adornment, exchange & myth in the South Seas
Wolfgang Grulke, 2022, At One Communications, United Kingdom. Reviewed by Rebecca Conway, curator ethnography Macleay Collections, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney Wolfgang Grulke has applied his passion, collection, …
Uli : Powerful Ancestors from the Pacific
By Jean-Philippe Beaulieu Published in English by Primedia, Belgium 245 x 330 mm 392 pages, hardcover ISBN: 978 29601375 4 5 Featuring the first and only catalogue raisonné of uli figures from central …
Personal Encounters
Personal experiences and personal passions are a common theme in this edition. Everyone who attended his fascinating lecture for the Oceanic Art Society in October 2021, would be aware of …