Art, Creativity and Future Directions
As always, a trip to the APT XI at QAGOMA in Brisbane didn’t disappoint. One highlight was the detailed carved sculptures in the renowned Ātiawa style by Māori sculptor Brett …
Stories from all OAS Journal Volumes
Art and Creativity from a Cross-Cultural Perspective
This article is an edited version of a talk Ross Bowden gave at the Oceanic Art Society Forum in Melbourne in 2023. The purpose is to raise, very briefly, some of the ‘big picture’ questions about art cross-culturally.
Pacific Art Association Europe 2024
The 2024 three day annual Pacific Art Association Europe conference took place in October at the Ethnologisches Museum in the Humboldt Forum in Berlin.
OAS Strategy Meeting Report
by Jim Elmslie On 26 March 2025, the OAS held an important Strategy Meeting at Chau Chak Wing Museum in Sydney University, attended by past and present committee members and …
“Mi pen, em tasol” — Requiem for an Artist
Obituary - Elisabet Kauage 1958 -2025. Papua New Guinea lost a national treasure on 5 February 2025 with the passing of renowned artist Elisabet Kauage.
The Gulf of Papua through the lens and diaries of Kathleen Haddon
An English Girl in New Guinea: Kathleen Haddon’s Journal and Photographs from New Guinea 1914. Kathleen Haddon, edited by Virginia Lee-Webb and Jonathon Fogel. Hardcover, 192 pages, over 200 B/W photographs. …
Introducing Judy Robinson
Long term member Judy Robinson has stepped up in recent months as OAS Secretary and has now been appointed as Treasurer with the resignation of Ian Wamijo.
Ka ‘Ula Wena: Oceanic Red
I am fortunate to be given the catalogue to the groundbreaking exhibition Ka ‘Ula Wena: Oceanic Red, which was held from 25 May 2024 until 12 January 2025 at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
Tiki Collecting: Production, Purpose and Scale
What is tiki? This exotic word conjures vivid and iconic images. In discussing tiki, questions of production, purpose and scale emerge.
SEA Art: South East Asian Art
Ana and Antonio Casanovas have recently published this lavishly illustrated volume which is an indispensable reference companion for all those interested in the aesthetics of the material art of Southeast Asia and Oceania and in the evolution of the earliest known human cultures.
De ma peinture surgit et survit mon âme [From my painting, my soul emerges and lives on]
This exhibition’s title, which sounds as much like an urgent need for preservation as it does a victory against oblivion, has left its mark on the minds of all French lovers of contemporary art from Papua New Guinea (PNG).
BILONG PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Reflecting on 50 years of independence
BILONG PAPUA NEW GUINEA showcases the National Gallery of Australia’s impressive collection of Papua New Guinean art across diverse media – sculptures, prints, paintings, bark-cloth, and bilums.
Paradise Palette
The vibrancy, colour, cultural depth, diversity and life of Australia’s closest neighbour was on show in this exhibition of mostly self-taught artists from Papua New Guinea seen in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in late 2024.
What is Modern Art of the Pacific?
Recent months have seen Oceanic art enthusiasts gathered for two art fairs in Paris in September and Sydney in October. By all accounts, there was great enthusiasm and artworks. In …
Somuk: The First Modern Artist of the Pacific?
by Nicolas Garnier Biographies of Pacific artists usually focus on contemporary artists and artists coming from wealthy Pacific countries, especially Australia. Scholars or museum curators have devoted substantial biographies to …
Ron Perry
by Carolyn Leigh Ron (Roland Lewis) Perry grew up in Tucson, Arizona, USA during the 1930s Depression. Both his grandfathers died young. Their widows and extended families instilled an early …
Some thoughts about the Awaiama Stone Spatula
by Stéphane Duckett Stone artefacts in Oceanic Art are relatively uncommon and almost wholly limited to axe or club heads. It is perhaps not surprising that in the Massim area, …
Sun & Shadow: Art of the Spinifex People
2023, 384 pages, John Carty & Luke Scholes, Upswell Publishing. Review by Margaret Cassidy Opening this dark blue bound book launches the reader forth into the colour and patterns of …
Great Vibes at the Art Fairs
by Noëlle Rathmell-Stiels The 2024 Sydney Oceanic Art Fair at the Art Leven Gallery in Redfern was a great success thanks to a dynamic organising subcommittee under the leadership of …
From kastom objects to Pacific art
In early August we gathered for the Oceanic Art Society’s 2024 Forum at the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney. This brought a rich and diverse set of presenters into one of the best contemporary museum spaces in Australia.
A Dilettante in the Humboldt Forum
by David Hourigan I have been responsible for the graphic design of each OAS Journal for many, many years. I do not collect Oceanic art (my own collecting focuses on …
Rover – From Warmun to Venice
2023, 57 pages, JD Mittman, Burrinja Review by Margaret Cassidy Warmun in the East Kimberleys is indeed a long way from Venice but both are places of great beauty and …
More Than You Might Think: Exploring Micronesian Sculpture
by Eric Kjellgren In contrast to the rich diversity of sculptural traditions in other areas of Oceania, surveys of Oceanic Art (including Kjellgren 2007 and 2014) often describe Micronesia as …
Who tells what Oceanic art stories?
A former colleague recently shared her five communications tips - question the news value; know the audience; highlight the lead; feature people, not objects; and create visual elements - which led me to thinking about this Journal.