Paperskin: the art of tapa cloth brings together a stunning selection of over 40 tapa works from around the Pacific. The exhibition features works from Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Hawai’i, Futuna, the Solomon and Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.
‘Paperskin: the art of tapa cloth is the result of a successful collaboration between Te Papa, Queensland Art Gallery, and Queensland Museum’, said Michelle Hippolite, Te Papa’s Acting Chief Executive and Kaihautū.
‘This exhibition also offers a rare opportunity for Te Papa to display for the first time two of the largest tapa pieces from its collection – a 22.7 metre long ngatu laumina created for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and also used on the occasion of the funeral of Queen Salote of Tonga in 1955; and a stunning contemporary 5.7 metre anga (tapa) from Mangaia in the Cook Islands.’
Other highlights in Paperskin: the art of tapa cloth include rare works such as an 18th century Hawaiian kapa, intricate ceremonial masks from Papua New Guinea, and examples of hiapo from Niue, where it has not been made since the late 1800s. Since its introduction from South-East Asia, cloth made from the beaten bark of paper mulberry, banyan, and breadfruit trees has played an important role in island cultures in the Pacific. For generations, this cloth has been an essential part of everyday life, as well as being worn and exchanged in familial and political ceremonies and performances. The designs that they carry constitute some of the Pacific’s most breathtaking artistic works.
Paperskin: the art of tapa cloth explores the stories embodied in these cloths. With their evocative visual language of bold and intricate patterning, barkcloths have been likened to tattoos: another skin that envelops the wearer in cultural significance and beauty.
The opening events programme on 19 & 20 June includes Tongan ngatu, Samoan siapo, and Fijian masi-making demonstrations; Tongan and Tokelauan musical performances; floortalks by the exhibition’s curators; and much more.
This exhibition is organised by Queensland Art Gallery, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and Queensland Museum. It has been curated by Maud Page, Queensland Art Gallery’s Curator of Pacific Art, in collaboration with Te Papa’s Senior Curator Pacific Cultures, Sean Mallon, and Imelda Miller, Assistant Curator Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Indigenous Studies, Queensland Museum.
Full event details and a downloadable catalogue are available on: www.tepapa.govt.nz\paperskin.
Paperskin: the art of tapa cloth
19 June – 12 September 2010
Visa Platinum Gallery, Level 4
Te Papa
Free admission
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