Festival of Pacific Arts, day 5
Yesterday (Friday) was the opening of the visual arts exhibition at the Festival. I'd really been looking forward to it. Outside the gallery building is a market of local crafts and artifacts:
But what I was most interested in was the art exhibit inside the gallery. This is an amazing collection of contemporary art from around the Pacific region. The variety of pieces and the skill shown by the artists is staggering. Artworks use a full range of media: glass, bark fiber, tapa cloth, stone, pencil, watercolor, oil, acrylic, printmaking. Though a number of pieces are obviously influenced by the Western "masters" (especially from the 20th century), the fascinating thing is seeing the innovative mixing of traditional design elements with contemporary techniques. Also, the themes of the paintings often deal with the same themes as the film festival I described yesterday: Pacific Islander identities in changing times. People of the Pacific struggle with what it means to be fully engaged in the global community, while retaining their distinctive identities as people from local Pacific communities. The artists in the Festival gallery are passionate about holding onto their unique traditions as they navigate the new complexities of "modern life." As I strolled through the gallery (multiple times), I enjoyed talking with the artists, many of whom were standing near their works and were happy to talk about themselves and their art. For them this is like a family reunion, getting to hang out with artists from other Pacific nations, artists they respect and enjoy but rarely get to see. It's a great exchanging of ideas and techniques.
"Languages of the Pacific" continues to go well. We're having great conversations about linguistics diversity and pride, and about the work that we're doing in the Pacific, in arts, music, linguistics, literacy, and Bible translation. People from 87 languages have now visited the booth this week. Here are a few of the people I've met:
The Pasifika Stage last night boasted another wonderful selection of performances. The program really ranged from traditional to contemporary. Here's a glimpse of what was on-stage:
But what I was most interested in was the art exhibit inside the gallery. This is an amazing collection of contemporary art from around the Pacific region. The variety of pieces and the skill shown by the artists is staggering. Artworks use a full range of media: glass, bark fiber, tapa cloth, stone, pencil, watercolor, oil, acrylic, printmaking. Though a number of pieces are obviously influenced by the Western "masters" (especially from the 20th century), the fascinating thing is seeing the innovative mixing of traditional design elements with contemporary techniques. Also, the themes of the paintings often deal with the same themes as the film festival I described yesterday: Pacific Islander identities in changing times. People of the Pacific struggle with what it means to be fully engaged in the global community, while retaining their distinctive identities as people from local Pacific communities. The artists in the Festival gallery are passionate about holding onto their unique traditions as they navigate the new complexities of "modern life." As I strolled through the gallery (multiple times), I enjoyed talking with the artists, many of whom were standing near their works and were happy to talk about themselves and their art. For them this is like a family reunion, getting to hang out with artists from other Pacific nations, artists they respect and enjoy but rarely get to see. It's a great exchanging of ideas and techniques.
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| Brad Pugeva, from the Solomon Islands |
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| Alvaro Kuautonga, from Vanuatu |
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| Brian Feni, from the Solomon Islands |
"Languages of the Pacific" continues to go well. We're having great conversations about linguistics diversity and pride, and about the work that we're doing in the Pacific, in arts, music, linguistics, literacy, and Bible translation. People from 87 languages have now visited the booth this week. Here are a few of the people I've met:
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| Sister Theresa, a teacher and literacy worker from the Solomon Islands, pointing out where her language (Kwaio) is on the Solomons language map. |
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| Dingko Nan, one of Taiwan's most popular indigenous singers. |
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| Tommy, a photographer from West Papua. |
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| Hikaru, a researcher and film producer from Tokyo. |
The Pasifika Stage last night boasted another wonderful selection of performances. The program really ranged from traditional to contemporary. Here's a glimpse of what was on-stage:
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| Hula, from Hawaii |
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| The Frigatebird Dance, from Nauru |
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| Bamboo band, from the Solomon Islands |
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| Breakdancing, from New Caledonia |
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| Stringband, from Samoa |
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| Dance and drumming, from Tahiti |
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| Australian Aboriginal "desert reggae" |
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