Pacific Creations: Spirituality meets Utility / 27 January - 20 February 2010

 

John Leech Gallery is proud to present Pacific Creations: Spirituality meets Utility as the first exhibition for 2010.
Both gallery rooms will be utilised to display a range of objects sourced from Scotland, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Niuean hiapo, Fijian objects (ula and sali clubs) and Maori objects (adzes, fishhooks, wahaika and mere pounamu) will be displayed alongside nineteenth century Cook Island and Easter Island carving, with the range of work on display demonstrating the depth of creativity and breadth of artistic style in this part of the world.
Such objects have been viewed and valued in many different ways over the past two hundred years. Clubs, fishhooks and adzes which were initially created to serve a functional purpose, have since their creation also been viewed as curio items, tourist souvenirs and objects of art and creativity in their own right. The changing attitudes towards these pieces have affected the value placed on them and on the culture in which they originated. The aim of Pacific Creations is to stimulate discussion around the value of historical Pacific cultural items and their place within, and effect on, contemporary culture.