Voices of the Pacific: Innovation and Tradition at CaixaForum

 

Figurative House Ornament (Detail)
Austral Islands, Raivavae
Wood
Donated by Sir George Grey in 1854
Oc1854,1229.120
© The Trustees of the British Museum

 
 

Voices of the Pacific

Innovation and Tradition

May 28, 2025 — September 14, 2025

 

For millennia, the cultures of the Pacific islands have developed a wealth of everyday and ceremonial objects that reflect the creativity and artistic sensibility of their people. The exhibition brings together more than two hundred objects from different cultures and periods in Oceania.

From New Guinea to Hawaii, and from Rapa Nui to New Zealand, Oceania is a network of islands and cultures united by the Pacific. This has not only been their livelihood, but has also inspired the development of their creativity. The exhibition features more than two hundred pieces, both historical and contemporary, from the British Museum's collections dedicated to Pacific Island peoples. These include ceremonial paddles, ancestral figures carved in basalt, dresses made from mulberry bark, hats, models of war canoes, necklaces and nose ornaments, and mother-of-pearl fishhooks. A comprehensive display of the artistic genius of Oceanic peoples, structured into seven areas: innovation and tradition, innovators, weavers, dancers, warriors, carvers, and travelers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhibition Preview

 

Ango. Model of a tomoko (war canoe) from Roviana, Solomon Islands.
1900–1920. Wood and shell.
Donated by Mrs. Mary Edge-Partington in 1921
Oc1921,1102.1
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Fisherman’s God
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Late 18th century-early 19th century
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1876
Previously owned by William Wareham
Oc.9866
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Male Malagan Figure
Papua New Guinea, New Ireland
19th century
Wood, shell, pigment
Field collected by Hugh Hastings Romily
Donated by Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford in 1884
Oc1884,0728.49
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Dance Paddle | Rapa
Easter Island
Late 18th century - mid 19th century
Wood
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1885
Oc,+.2600
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Male Malagan Figure
Papua New Guinea, New Ireland
19th century
Wood, shell, pigment
Field collected by Hugh Hastings Romily
Donated by Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford in 1884
Oc1884,0728.1
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Female Figurative House Ornament
Austral Islands, Raivavae
Wood
Donated by Sir George Grey in 1854
Oc1854,1229.120
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Female Malagan Figure
Papua New Guinea, New Ireland
19th century
Wood, fiber, shell, pigment
Field collected by Hugh Hastings Romily
Donated by Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford in 1884
Oc1884,0728.2
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Paddle
Papua New Guinea, North Solomons, Buka
Wood, pigment
Bequeathed by Henry Christy in 1865
Oc.149
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Small Figure | Tiki Ke’a
Marquesas Islands
18th century - 19th century
Basalt
Purchased from Frederick William Christian in 1899
Oc1899,-.155
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Carved Male Figre | Moai Kavakava
Easter Island
Wood
Purchased from William Wareham in 1868
Oc.4835
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Armour / Cuirass | Te Tana
Kiribati
Coir, human hair, wood
Field collected by Charles Richard Swayne
Donated by Mrs. F E Swayne in 1922
Oc1922,1009.1
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Male Malagan Figure
Papua New Guinea, New Ireland
19th century
Wood, shell, pigment
Field collected by Hugh Hastings Romily
Donated by Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford in 1884
Oc1884,0728.7
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Helmet | Mahiole Hulu Manu
Before 1780
Hawaii
Iiwi feather, mamo feather, ō’ō feather, pandanus root, olona fiber
Field collected by Captain Cook, Ex-Collection: Leverian Museum
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1891
Oc,VAN.236
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Male Malagan Figure
Papua New Guinea, New Ireland
19th century
Wood, shell, pigment
Field collected by Hugh Hastings Romily
Donated by Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford in 1884
Oc1884,0728.9
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Drum
Papua New Guinea, Sepik River
Wood, parchment, cane, bone
Donated by Rev F R Bishop in 1928
Oc1928,-.47
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Male Malagan Figure
Papua New Guinea, New Ireland
19th century
Wood, shell, pigment
Field collected by Hugh Hastings Romily
Donated by Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford in 1884
Oc1884,0728.4
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Fish Hook
Late 18th century - early 19th century
Cook Islands, Mangaia
Wood
Purchase from London Missionary Society in 1911
Oc,LMS.30
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Dolphin Carving
Solomon Islands, Ulawa
Wood, inlaid pearlshell, pigment
Donated by Irene Marguerite Beasley in 1944
Previously owned by Harry Geoffrey Beasley
Oc1944,02.1315
© The Trustees of the British Museum

 
News 15Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold