Synopsis
This is the first publication to provide an extensive survey of the arts of New Britain, part of Papua New Guinea. The major focus is on the arts of the Baining, Sulka, Nakanai and Tolai, who in connection with cult festivities and secret societies have produced an astonishing variety of artistic means of expression. From the head masks used in ritual dances and the stone sculptures of the Iniet secret society to the bold paintings of the Nakanai, the illustrated objects help to explain why it was the art of this particular region that ideally expressed Surrealist conceptions. Max Ernst and Paul Klee in their sculptures and paintings indeed found related solutions. Through their adaptations of New Britain art, its abstractional and fantastic have become artistic ways of expression familiar to a wide audience. This is only one reason for the fascination of confronting these originals, of which the background - world view, values and questions of artistic activity - and historical context is explained and discussed with photographs and texts. 150 selected works impressively document the riches in shape, colour and inspiration of New Britain art, and are accompanied by profound contributions from noted experts. A standard work on South Sea art. Authors include: Ingrid Heermann, Philip Dark, Monique Jeydy-Ballini, Christian Kaufmann, Chantel Knowles, Philippe Peltier, and others.