Indigenous Arts of the Pacific

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Examines contemporary issues facing communities in the Pacific region. Art and economics, cross-cultural issues, politics and subsidy, festival and promotions are included in the overview which looks at Australian indigenous art, Maori art from New Zealand, art from Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa.

Topic list: community, conservation, craft, cultural policy, education, identity, indigenous culture, nationalism, Pacific, regionalism, traditional culture.

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Articles in Vol 16 no 4, 1996

Acting Out the Culture: The Making of Culturally Relevant Theatre, Papua New Guinea

Feature by Michael A. Mel

Culturally relevant theatre in education in Papua New Guinea challenges, questions, asserts, transgresses, subverts, opposes, resists and negotiates with the demands of political and cultural relations. It offers new forms of representation and contributes to the process of destabilising and decentering the domination of Western processes of teaching, learning and performance. — More »

Alternative Festival in Samoa

Feature by Megan Tamati-Quennell

An alternative festival celebrating the people of the Pacific was held on one of the outer islands (Manono) in Western Samoa at the same time as the official Pacific Festival of the Arts in Apia. The festival was conducted from 8-23 September 1996. — More »

An Alternative to the Art Market

Feature by Tom Byra Mixie Mosby

The market must acknowledge its role in the commidification of indigenous cultures through cultural objects....What the market must acknowledge is the relationship of interdependency which exists between itself and the artists that it promotes and as such, the market must ensure that its actions do not prove detrimental to the artist and the community in the long run. — More »

Art and Ritual: Aina Asi A Mavaru Kavamu

Feature by Wendy Choulai

The artist writes of the issues facing her as a citizen of Papua New Guinea, a descendant of the Motu Koita people, being female and an artist/textile designer. Her traditional grass skirts were included in the Asia-Pacific Triennial. — More »

Art is Land: Land is Art - Talks with Banduk Marika

Feature by Stephanie Britton

Discussion with the artist Banduk Marika about the issues facing her community of Yirrkala in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Indigenous art practice and land rights, cultural heritage, education and knowledge, environmental protection and mining intrusions are discussed. — More »

Australia Goes to Samoa: 7th Pacific Festival of the Arts

Feature by Stephanie Britton

Overview of the 7th Pacific Festival of Arts which is held in a different country every 4 years. 1996 the festival was held in Apia in Western Samoa. Previous hosts 1992 Raratonga, Cook Islands 1988 Townsville Queensland Australia Lists the communities of Aboriginal Australians who were in attendance at the festival. — More »

Collaboration - Zhou Xiaoping and Jimmy Pike

Feature by Fotis Kapetopoulos

Chinese Australian artist Zhou Xiaoping and Aboriginal artist Jimmy Pike exhibit collaborative works in China later in 1996. The author discusses Zhou's new work and his collaboration with Jimmy Pike. — More »

Contemporary Maori Architecture - The Case for the Untraditional

Feature by Deidre Brown

One of the most insidious myths about contemporary Maori architecture is that it does not exist, since 'traditional' Maori building design has been influenced by colonial architecture. Looks at contemporary issues in Maori architecture. — More »

Creativity in the Forest

Feature by Christine Delany

In 1994, the small Balai community of Malaita Province, Solomon Islands, commenced paper making which led to the development of printmaking. Small enterprises and ecotourism may well be the future of these small island communities. — More »

Dancing the Society: Performing Arts in the Solomon Islands

Feature by Lawrence Foanaota

Performing arts in the Solomon Islands Since the common determining facts in whether to keep, add changes, or reject aspects of the performing arts are based on the dollar, Solomon Islanders will continue to adopt new styles of dances, music, songs and forms of acting in the same way as some Church groups have done. — More »

Darwin Festival - A Glimpse

Feature by Stephanie Britton

Overview of the Festival of Darwin with its temporary visual art installations 'art head land' by 18 artists. For the summer of 1996. — More »

Educating Public Taste

Feature by Lawrence Foanaota

The National Museum's role in the development of contemporary art in the Solomon Islands. Artists Dick Taumata, Kuai Maueha, Frank Haikiu, Rex Mahuta, Jack Saemala and Billy Vina are discussed. — More »

Fiji: Artists Carve Out Their Own Future

Feature by Nelson Salesi

Looks at issues in contemporary art practice in Fiji anticipating the construction of the new Fiji National Art School. — More »

Maori Film Images and Intellectual Property Rights - A Breakthrough?

Feature by Barry Barclay

For those depositing films with a significant Maori content, the New Zealand Film Archive has developed a Deposit Agreement which acknowledges that named Maori guardians have spiritual guardianship authority over their image treasures in perpetuity. This goes way beyond white copyright regimes. — More »

New Developments for the Papua New Guinea National Museum

Feature by Barry Craig

Brief article outlining the current directions and focus for the PNG Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby. — More »

Nucleus: Feeling Compromised

Feature by Judy Watson

As Judy Watson was about the commence her residency in France, the French Government announced they would be conducting nuclear tests in the Pacific. As an Australian, an Aboriginal, a conservationist, a woman and an artist, she felt compromised. Discusses her work in this context. — More »

Oceanic Arts Society of Sydney

Feature by Chris Koziel

Describes the establishment and membership of this new society. — More »

Pacific Stories from New Caledonia

Feature by Susan Cochrane

Collecting Pacific Art is not a straight forward endeavour. There are really no set criteria of what 'contemporary Pacific art' might be, little interpretive literature on the subject and very few precedents for forming even small collections for cultural institutions. There is a new cultural centre 'the Jean-Marie Cultural Centre' being built in Noumea, New Caledonia. — More »

Pacific Wave: A Festival of Pacific Arts

Feature by Stephanie Britton

Brief article outlining Pacific Wave, a celebration and investigation of contemporary trends in art and cultural life of the Pacific taking place across Sydney November 2-17 1996. — More »

Polynesian Tattoo: A Shift in Meaning

Feature by Karen Stevenson

Tattoo played a significant role as a marker of status, wealth, and pride in Polynesian societies. A more fluid, creative tattoo tradition is being practised today. — More »

Soapstone Workshop

Feature by Denise Tiavouane

April 1996 at the Pouebo Town Hall northern New Caledonia. A sculptural tradition has always been alive in this area so a workshop was held to explore the use of soapstone sculpture. — More »

Spirit Blong Bubu I Kam Bak [The Return of the Spirits of the Ancestors]

Feature by Ralph Regenvanu

Reflections on an exhibition in Vanuatu of old pieces of ni Vanuatu art held in European collections. Touring Exhibition 'Arts of Vanuatu' 29 June - 10 August 1996 at the National Museum of Vanuatu in the national capital of Port Vila. — More »

Taki Rua: Bi-cultural Theatre in Aotearoa

Feature by Mere Boynton

Taki Rua Theatre has been at the cutting edge of indigenous theatre since its inception in 1983. It has now produced a season of Maori plays in te reo Maori (Maori language). — More »

Tandanya - Captivating Culture

Feature by Stephanie Britton

Brief overview of the current focus of Tandanya the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute in Adelaide, South Australia. — More »

Telling it How it is: Pacific Islands Theatre in Aotearoa New Zealand

Feature by Makerita Urale

Pacific Islands Theatre is at an exciting phase in New Zealand. Although relatively young compared to Maori and Pakeha theatre, the debut of key successful plays has placed it in the spotlight of New Zealand's national stage in recent years as it continues to gain strength. — More »

The Art of Survival: The Importance of Contemporary Theatre in Papua New Guinea

Feature by Liz Thompson

In many developing countries where indigenous communities are faced with the rapid process of development, theatre has become an extremely important educational tool. With escalating resource exploitation, rising numbers of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS and increases in violent crimes by an unemployed and disillusioned youth, the importance of this form of communication cannot be underestimated. — More »

The Contemporary Highland Shield: Hybrid Forms in Papua New Guinea

Feature by Hugh Stevenson

The author examines shield collected in 1995 to discuss issues fundamental to the introduction of the art of emergent societies in an international art context. Issues such as the definition of art and aesthetics, art versus craft, function of art in the various contexts etc... — More »

The Island Race in Aotearoa

Feature by Jim Vivieaere

Today the art of the Pacific Islanders is still trapped within its category. The display cases of the institutions have not been shattered. Yet the very act of exhibiting demonstrates that the making and the appreciation of art is a dynamic process. Institutions are caught by a need to both legitimise themselves and acknowledge (and perhaps attempt to control) the art of the migrant communities. — More »

The Land made Visible: Native Title Now

Feature by Doreen Mellor

Written with Vincent Megaw. Looks at land claims and the role of artworks in these claims in the context of the exhibition 'Native Titled Now' shown as part of the Telstra Festival of Arts 1996. Good overview of indigenous art practice and talks about artists such as Raymond Arone Meeks, Lin Onus, Gordon Bennett, Alice Hinton-Bateup, Avril Quaill, Kerry Giles, Daphne Naden, Mick Namarari, Turkey Tolson, Danie Mellor, Jonathan Kumintjara Brown, Clifford Possum, Ellen Jose, Lindsay Bird Mpetyane, Heather Shearer and Kathleen Wallace. — More »

The Waka and the Cattle Truck

Feature by Margo Neale

What do a traditional Maori canoe (waka) and a cattle truck have in common?...In both these cases these vehicles were conveyors of culture. These images are central to two collaborative works at the second Asia Pacific Triennial of Pacific Art at the Queensland Art Gallery. — More »

Vaka - Only the Brave

Feature by Mereana Hutchinson

Looks at the contemporary art and the cultural and economic pressures faced by the people of the Cook Islands. — More »

Weaving the Old with the New: Textile Art Forms in Niugini

Feature by Ross Searle

Women artists were conspicuously absent from the important exhibition 'Luk Luk Gen'. The exhibition 'Pacific Dreams' included textile works by the artist Agatha Waramin who works with bilums and the exhibition 'Weaving the Old with the New' will extend women's exposure in an artistic context. — More »

Issue Index

Indigenous Arts of the Pacific

Articles in Vol 16 no 4, 1996

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