Power and Prestige

A voyage to discover Oceania’s clubs, to learn about their sculptural beauty and their deeper meaning. The audience will be asked to abandon their preconceived notions about “clubs” in order to finally see them under a new light: impressive and powerful works of art, symbols of authority, power and divine favor.

DETAILS

“Power and Prestige: the art of clubs in Oceania” is an exhibition never held before and organized in collaboration with the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris.

The aim of the exhibition is to challenge assumptions and prejudices about “clubs” and reveal their full cultural complexity as sculptures, images of deities, symbols of authority, and weapons.

Their remarkable sculptural qualities and decorative elaboration demonstrate that they can be considered genuine works of art and not just battle equipment or insignia of rank.

The exhibition explores the cultural contexts of their creation and use, as well as similarities and differences in each area, providing new information on the relationships between the island groups in question. The exhibition shows approximately 130 clubs from major European collections.

The curator of the exhibition and main author of the catalog is Professor Steven Hooper, Director of the Sainsbury Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, UK.

The Art of Clubs in Oceania

Gallery