Canoe with five standing and five seated figures. Northern New Ireland. Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, Photo: Anatol Dreyer
World of Shadows - Art of the South Pacific
"World of Shadows - Art of the South Pacific" is the first exhibition that presents art created around 1900 from all regions of New Ireland - art that still exists today, yet in a changed form. The carved works from New Ireland drew the attention of Europeans at an early time. In the 19th century, long before artists like Picasso, Nolde or Breton discovered non-European art, works from New Ireland had already gained renown. The exhibition shows over 160 sculptures and painted art works of extraordinary artistic quality. Together with the permanent exhibition the worldwide largest exhibition on Pacific Art is to be seen in Berlin-Dahlem. Among the most outstanding art works are a six-meter-long "soul-boat", several meter-high columns for mortuary ceremonies, marvelous masks and fascinating figures. To be seen only in Berlin are two huge "suns", plaited art works of exceptional ritual intensity.
Eine Ausstellung des Ethnologischen Museums, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Saint Louis Art Museum und dem musée du quai Branly