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Curator Maya Nuku talks about the exhibition "The Contours of Time". Video: Ye Zi (04:10)
Indigenous art from Oceania nourished modernism, and although in the mid-19th century Europeans called works from Oceania "primitive," it didn't take long for their power to shake Western art.
On May 31, the Pudong Museum of Art in Shanghai and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York teamed up for the first time to present "The Contours of Time: Oceanian Art and Heritage at the Metropolitan Museum of Art". The exhibition presents more than 110 works of art from Oceanian civilizations spanning four centuries, including large-scale sculptures, ceremonial masks, characteristic costumes and works by contemporary Oceanian artists. The exhibits illustrate the fascinating aspects of Oceanian art, not only in itself, but also in the way of life it represents.
"'Contours of Time' rekindles our appreciation and understanding of Oceanian art by incorporating local Oceanian perspectives and new groundbreaking scholarship, exhibiting and bringing together extraordinary artworks that tell diverse stories about origins, ancestral powers, ritual knowledge and performance." Max Hollein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, said at the opening ceremony.
Exhibition view
The title of the exhibition, "The Contours of Time," comes from the 1962 book "The Contours of Time" by Yale professor George Kubler, which uses a "plural present" concept of time to give history an inherent subjectivity. The exhibition adopts a similar perspective, delving into the material nature of "time" through Oceanian art: for example, how do the islanders of Oceania view time? In what form does time take in the material preservation of textiles, sculptures, paintings, etc.? And how do people communicate the past and the future through these "things"?
Max Hollein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
According to Max Holein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Oceanian art collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, originally established by Nelson A. Rockefeller in the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century, has been displayed in the Metropolitan Main Building for more than forty years. As the Rockefeller Wing is currently under renovation, the Oceania exhibition hall in the museum is temporarily closed. The Oceanian artworks were brought to Shanghai, the first time they have been exhibited outside the United States since they were included in the Met's collection.
Mask, Papua New Guinea, East New Britain, Byning Artist, 1972 Bamboo, bark cloth, paint George and Sarah Corbin, 2005 (2005.460.1) Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
"This exhibition is the first time that an exhibition from the New York Metropolitan has come to Shanghai and the first stop of the Oceania art tour. Art has a connecting power that connects the three continents, conveying openness and communication, as well as the relationship between humans and nature. Li Minkun, deputy general manager of Lujiazui Group and chairman of Pudong Art Museum, said, "Artworks are ships, communicating with everything in the past, present and future. ”
Understanding the connection with others in Oceanian art
The exhibition is divided into three main units: "Voyage", "Ancestors" and "Time", which run through the island community, showing the unique relationship between the people of the region and their ancestors, time and environment. Through the research and presentation of Oceanian art, the exhibition does not want to convey a specific world view, but hopes to let the audience feel the diversity and openness of thought; It also provides a space for reflection and allows people to see and better understand the connection with others.
Shield, West Papua, Kaipi District, Digul River Ayu artists Early 20th century Wood, pigments, fibers Michael S. C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Nelson M. Bequested by A. Rockefeller in 1979 (1979.206.1598) Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The exhibition's curator, Maia Nuku, an Oceanian art curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, wears a handmade Maori shawl through halls filled with Oceanian art, seemingly bringing the Pacific monsoon to the banks of the Huangpu River.
"Hopefully, viewers will embrace the diverse cultures of Oceania with a fresh perspective and learn about the deep-rooted ties between the South Island and its people, the last peoples on Earth to navigate the vast oceans and settle on a third of the planet." Maya Nuku said.
Exhibition view, chest ornament, Solomon Islands, Taimotu province, Santa Cruz Island Endende artists Late 19th and early 20th centuries
Among the more than 100 works of art on display, Maya Nuku's personal favorite is the Hei-Tiki pendant from the Aotearova region of New Zealand. "My grandmother and mother are Māori and I am Māori too, so I have a very close connection with Hei-Tiki. A year ago, as a curator, I was browsing the collection of the Asian Art Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art when I found it in a pile of Asian jade collections. Maya Nuku told The Paper Art Review, "This green jade pendant showcases jade from different cultures, and for the Maori in New Zealand's Aotearova region, Hei-Tiki expresses the vitality and potential of life, with its head tilted to one side, like the embryo of a newborn, making people feel that new life is born in the darkness of sacredness." ”
Green Jade Pendant, Otearoa, New Zealand, Maori artist, 19th century, Māori green jade
Pendant Solomon Islands, Western Province, New Georgia Early to mid-20th century Taro shell Michael S. C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Nelson M. Gifted by A. Rockefeller in 1969 (1978.412.767) in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
It tells the story of life in Oceania about its origins, ancestral powers
About 3,500 to 5,000 years ago, navigators sailed through the islands of Southeast Asia, creating a route to Papua New Guinea's northern coastline and continuing eastward to settle in the coastal archipelago. Surrounded by blue seas and twinkling landscapes, they migrate between islands, weaving webs of exchange and encounter through the medium of diverse substances such as wood, bark, fiber, shells and bones, linked by a common ancestry, while art gives contours and forms to life in Oceania, telling stories of origins, ancestral powers, ritual knowledge and performances.
Exhibition view
The earliest European collectors of Oceanian art were the 18th-century British navigator and explorer James Cook, as well as the artists and scientists who accompanied him on epochal discoveries (it should be noted that most of their collections came from friendly encounters in exchange for gifts). But the beauty of Oceanian art really attracted attention until the early 20th century, when European modernist artists Picasso and Matisse used these works of art from Pacific island countries as their "raw materials" for their creative inspiration.
Paddle Bougainville or Buca Late 19th and early 20th centuries Wood, pigment Michael S. C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Nelson M. Acquired by A. Rockefeller in 1966 (1978.412.1491) in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Here, the existence of these arts is the earliest and greatest monument to mankind's exploration. Canoes sailing between the islands, beautifully carved boats and oars, and navigation maps made of wooden bars are all miracles created by mankind.
The first part of the exhibition focuses on "voyages", which in the curators' view are "voyages in both the literal and spiritual sense", and this part introduces the idea of the artwork as a "vessel", showing the relationship between the islanders and the canoe and boat. The bow statues of canoes from different islands tell the story of similar but different cultures.
The first thing you see when you enter the exhibition hall is the work related to canoes, which are often compared to a man in full costume with decorative carvings of the hull, bow and stern of a canoe on the northwest coast of New Guinea.
Exhibition view, canoe headboard (left) and ancestral sculpture
These bow ornaments usually consist of two parts, a horizontal part fixed to the bow, and a detachable vertical bow ornament, the Mani. Mani usually presents birds, people, and fish. Most consist of a central openwork vertical body, topped by a larger, relatively natural bird shape, flanked by more stylized birds, fish, and human heads. The collection may depict a seabird helping a canoe crew find a school of fish.
Exhibition view, canoe bow decorated with mani.
Walking along the exhibition line, a wider and grander maritime world is presented. Ancestral sculptures, canoe bow posts, oars, combs, ceremonial skirts, ancestral columns, etc., present a space of life and death.
Exhibition view, canoe bow post and ancestral column
Both the real sea and its spiritual shipping lanes are closely related to the concept of time. Canoes carried the islanders to the New World, while ancestral statues, skulls and reliquary were used as temporary inhabits for the ancestors' undead. Ancestral statues from Bird of Paradise Bay in northwestern New Guinea represent people who have just died. The statues are kept inside the family house; Whenever you are about to embark on a dangerous voyage, you can carry the statue as a spiritual pillar to keep you safe and smooth.
Ancestral statues at the exhibition site (partial)
The second part, "Ancestors", extends this concept. Showcasing a series of works from Papua New Guinea and its coastal islands, this section links living tribes to primitive ancestors, emphasizing the role of ritual architecture.
Exhibition view of exhibits about ritual art in Papua New Guinea
Large ritual houses in the Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea are seen as the embodiment of the founding ancestors. Some of these impressive artworks tell the story of the world created by the ancestors of crocodiles, and the close relationship between people and the crops and plants that grow on the land to survive.
The crocodile is the most important element in the ritual art of the Yatmoor and Savos peoples of the Sepik River Valley. According to a creation account of the Yatmul, the dry land inhabited by humans was created by a crocodile. In addition, people here believe that the lightning and thunder caused by the earthquake were also caused by this ancestral crocodile. The exhibition has many works with the intention of crocodiles, and different works show the modeling ability of indigenous people derived from nature.
Exhibition view, works related to the ancestors of crocodiles.
Another ancestral sculpture called "Minjemtimi" is depicted as a muscular and strong adult male. His body bears the scars that young men acquired at bar mitzvahs: two crescent-shaped motifs on his chest and a raised cut between his left shoulder down to his back, intended to emulate crocodile scale armor. The image of this deity has the distinct crocodile element of the tribe, highlighting the supernatural deity as the guardian of the clan's long-term stability.
An ancestral sculpture titled "Minjetimi" (left) and a ceremonial plate at the exhibition
In addition, the large, richly decorated ritual house interior creates a dramatic setting for storytelling. During rituals that last for days or weeks, drums and nasal flutes are played in the ritual room, and their low, sonorous tones are seen as the "sounds" of the ancestors. One of the largest works in the exhibition is a towering groove drum carved from northern Vanuatu hollowed out from the entire trunk of a tree. During the ceremonial performance, the musician will strike its narrow vertical edge at the right time, and the drum cavity resonates to produce a sonorous and powerful tone that people regard as the "sound" of the awakened ancestors.
Exhibition view, huge groove drum, Ting · Mvilen (active in the 1960s) was influenced by Thin · Marl commissioned the creation, mid-to-late 60s, wood, paints
Also striking is the bark cloth mask created by a Bainin artist in 1972, which was worn while dancing around a campfire all night. The mask frame is made of split bamboo and wrapped in a piece of primary color bark cloth. It is painted with red and black motifs, two masks displayed in a display case, and a rounded appearance alludes to the god of leaves; While the other top splits in half, indicating that it may represent a deity associated with the branching of a particular tree.
Exhibition view, mask, Byning artist, 1972, bamboo, bark cloth, paint
In the exhibition, you can feel the ocean undulating under your canoe, hear the calls of seabirds, and see the dorsal fins of fish. Living by the sea also creates close relationships with other inhabitants of the sea. You can feel surrounded by the natural world, as if you are in a small boat, and everywhere you observe nature. However, these great artists did not want to stick to realism. Thus, everything in the world can become a god.
Exhibition view, masks created by Elma artists
The final chapter of the exhibition is themed "Time", which addresses the "potency" of art in the Pacific through a series of bold, innovative works. The visually vibrant creation explores how the tribes of Oceania use art to manipulate time and ensure that it is perceptually extended to the present.
Exhibition view of "Lizardman" sculptures and female statues from Easter Island in the 19th century.
The 19th-century Easter Island 'Lizardman' sculpture and Maori ritual objects look like the rough creations of modern artists. Clearly, the Pacific's contribution to modern art has not been proven, or fully understood.
Exhibition view, Maori ceremonial objects
Here, art, unlike modernism, is not about making images for art galleries or elites who understand aesthetics. The objects here express a way of life. The exhibition not only provides us with a bridge through the past, but also gives us a glimpse into how wisdom and knowledge from our ancestors from Oceania are influencing life today.
Exhibition view, Nongjilinga Maravili (Madapa tribe, Yonggu, born circa 1938), Lightning and Rock, 2014; The work has a video about the creative process.
Exhibition poster
This exhibition is produced by Shanghai Lujiazui (Group) Co., Ltd. and co-organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Pudong Art Museum. The exhibition will run until August 20.