The 2019 Oceanic Art Society Forum was an intellectual and emotional odyssey. Oceanic art represents and encompasses many things: sublime beauty and irresistible mystery; cultural treasure; markers of colonial dispossession and loss, but also continuity and hope. That indeed is what Oceanic art … [Read more...]
OAC Journal Cover Stories
A Successful Year – President’s Report on 2018
The Oceanic Art Society’s Annual General Meeting was held on 10th November at the Middle Harbour 16ft Skiff Club, Mosman NSW - a lovely venue on a sunny day. Twenty-one members were present, with apologies from three more. After the formalities, the President, Bill Rathmell, provided a brief … [Read more...]
The Art of Collecting
By Jim Elmslie Oceanic Art means different things to different people. Made by indigenous peoples for traditional cultural and utilitarian practice, artefacts are now prized by many people far removed from their geographical origins. Just why this is so is sometimes hard to fathom. In the last … [Read more...]
Different Ways of Seeing
by Jim Elmslie Oceanic art creates fascination on many levels. In this edition of the OAS Journal we look at two quite different ways of seeing traditional artefacts. To Dr. Michael Mel, a Papua New Guinean scholar who grew up in a Highlands village before setting off on his own personal … [Read more...]
Art of the Prince Alexander Ranges at the NGA
by Crispin Howarth The Prince Alexander Ranges in northern Papua New Guinea are home to a number of cultures. The largest group are the Abelam with a population of some 50,000 whose arts have heavily influenced their neighbours – the Arapesh and the Yangoru-Boiken people. These communities share … [Read more...]
The Savage Club OAS Forum a Stunning Success
The OAS Forum, held at the Melbourne Savage Club on October 21st, was a fantastic success and the Victorian members of the OAS, especially Dr. Michael Martin, are to be most heartily congratulated. The venue was superb; the speakers all truly world class and the food and company unsurpassable. … [Read more...]
Fijian Gods, The Fair and The Forum
After a very successful Tribal Art Fair Sydney, eyes, minds and tastebuds are turning eagerly toward Melbourne. This year’s OAS Forum is to be held at the iconic Savage Club, an institution in the world’s ‘most livable’ city, and certainly home to one of the country’s largest private Oceanic art … [Read more...]
Oceanic Encounters Through Time and Space
This edition of the OAS Journal once again traverses through time and space exploring aspects of Pacific cultures, from the first contact made by Captain James Cook in Hawaii to the current interactions of New York artist, Shiva Lynn Burgos, with the Kwoma people in PNG. Oceanic art plays a central … [Read more...]
While Admiring the Ancient the OAS Also Embraces the New
The OAS has shifted gear under the energetic leadership of our new president, Bill Rathmell, who has revitalised the main OAS committee and various sub-committees working on the website, the forthcoming Tribal Art Fair Sydney and the next OAS forums. The principal aim is to increase the appeal and … [Read more...]
A New President as Oceanic Exhibitions Thrive
The Oceanic Art Society is very pleased to announce the election of a new President, Dr. Bill Rathmell. Bill, and his wife, Noelle, have had a long association with the OAS, summarised in a brief introduction inside this edition of the OAS Journal. We also welcome on board Dr. Krisztina Turza as … [Read more...]
