Yesterday marked the close of ‘No. 1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966-2016‘. This was a landmark exhibition, the first in Australia to exclusively explore contemporary Papua New Guinean art. The exhibition showcased Papua New Guinea’s vibrant art world for new audiences in Australia who are not often exposed to the rich artistic traditions…
Continue reading » “How culture binds Australia and Papua New Guinea”
QAGOMA’s Research Library is home to the documentation behind the Asia Pacific Triennial series of exhibitions, which forms the basis of the archives of the Australian Centre of Asia Pacific Art (ACAPA). In preparation for the 2016 exhibition ‘No.1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966–2016’, curator Ruth McDougall delved into 23 years of archival…
Continue reading » “Photography: A visual reference for curators and researchers”
The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FOPAC) takes place every four years. Delegates from the islands peppering this vast ocean congregate to share culture, build alliances and discuss issues facing both their independent nations and the region as a whole. In 2016, the festival was hosted by the Chamorro peoples. The Chamorro are the…
Continue reading » “The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture”
Simon Nowep was one of a group of artists in the village of Kambot, on the Keram River in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, who received art materials from Australian teacher Helen Dennett in the early 1970s. Dennett recently gifted a number of Nowep’s prints to the Gallery, which greatly enhance our…
Continue reading » “Simon Nowep: Maintaining a place for spirits”
The a Bit na Ta project within ‘No.1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966–2016’ is about a ples (place) — Blanche Bay in East New Britain — as experienced by its local people, the Tolai, between 1875 and 1975. As the full moon slowly rises over the shimmering waters of Blanche Bay, fishermen launch…
‘Twist and loop’ describes both a technique used by women in Papua New Guinea to create knotted fabrics and the movements in choreographed dance sequences performed during sing sing (ceremony and dance). Twist and Loop is also the title of a performance event created for the exhibition ‘No.1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966–2016’.…
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.