HAILANS TO AILANS "Contemporary Art of Papua New Guinea," November 5 to 26, 2009, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria

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"Fever of Milamala: from Planting to Harvest to Farewell of the Spirits"

Martin Morububuna, "Fever of Milamala: from Planting to Harvest to Farewell of the Spirits." PHOTO BY JANET DWYER.

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"Dance Mask"

Otto Timbin, "Dance Mask." PHOTO BY JANET DWYER.

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"Fever of Milamala: from Planting to Harvest to Farewell of the Spirits"

Martin Morububuna, "Fever of Milamala: from Planting to Harvest to Farewell of the Spirits." PHOTO BY JANET DWYER.

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"Bird of Paradise Suspension Hook"

Kaua Gita, "Bird of Paradise Suspension Hook." PHOTO BY JANET DWYER.

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HAILANS TO AILANS

Contemporary Art of Papua New Guinea, November 5 to 26, 2009, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria

BY: Kimberly Croswell

Hailans to Ailans, the Melanesian pidgin title for “From the Highlands to the Islands,” honours a broad regional spectrum of traditional and non-traditional art practices. Victoria’s Alcheringa Gallery pairs local Coast Salish and Papua New Guinean works in wood, metal sculpture, fibre art, painting and performance art — at stake in the exhibition are issues of identity, memory and extreme cultural shifts.

Papua New Guinea seceded from Australia in 1975, and boasts one of the highest densities of languages in the world. Outside its island borders, the country’s artists not only represent local communities, but are cultural ambassadors for a national identity that is little-known outside the southern Pacific Rim. Like the work of contemporary Canadian Aboriginal artists, much of this work involves the impact of individual and cultural memories in the navigation of modern life.

For the Papua New Guineans, the changes have come remarkably rapidly, and their effects have been felt across three recent generations. Performer Michael Mel, whose father was one of the first in his community to make contact with white colonials, has kids who are immersed in a global digital culture. His performances narrate the impact of whites on island cultures, turning the colonial perspective back onto itself.

Much of the work in the show emphasizes the value of memory in sustaining and transforming the present. Painter Martin Morububuna depicts cultural practices leading up to the Milamala Celebrations (the yam harvest cycle) in the Trobriand Islands. Morububuna provides a site for memory and reflection, drawing attention to ancestors, and asking how they may continue to play an active role in life.

Tom Deko is a metal sculptor working with recycled steel and new, industrial materials. His most striking metal work, “Mama with Bilum”, depicts a woman with a woven cloth traditionally created in preparation for marriage and the birth of the first child. Draped over the head, it serves as the carrying pouch for the child. Cathy Kata, who learned to weave from her grandmother, has developed this weaving practice into a fusion of traditional and modern fashion in her Bilum Wear series, incorporating traditional styles and non-traditional materials.

Carver Teddy Balangu uses wood sculpture to relate his clan’s traditional stories, and to create new ones. Past indigenous cultural exchanges facilitated by Alcheringa Gallery are reflected in carvings Balangu completed to represent the visits of traditional Coast Salish carvers to Papua New Guinea, and vice versa. Carved entirely from a single block and painted with natural pigments, Balangu’s newest carvings incorporate a killer whale in tandem with a crocodile.

Coast Salish carver John Marston and printmaker/painter lessLIE also have work in the show. Marston, who has worked with Balangu in the past, incorporates antique Coast Salish images into his own carving style, while lessLIE creates art as a conscious act of de-colonialism. At first glance, he appears to be working with traditional motifs, but the images are abstract, acknowledging the shifting and subtle play of perception.

Hailans to Ailans is a densely layered show. It features interviews, essays, videos, and a full schedule of cultural events. Co-curated by Dr. Michael Mel of the University of Goroka in Papua New Guinea, the show will open with a welcoming celebration by local Coast Salish artists.