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Abstract
In July 2011, the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art embarked on a project looking at contemporary art created in Papua New Guinea as part of the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. A particular focus was to look at performative and architectural structures created out of ephemeral materials. In addition to collecting a number of masks that are customarily destroyed at the end of a ceremony, the Gallery also commissioned two major architectural installations from artists living in the East Sepik. These installations were based on the spirit houses of the men in the village. In both Abelam and Kwoma villages, a man’s Korumbo or Koromb (spirit house) is the main focus of artistic production. However, these structures are created out of fugitive organic materials. For example, the Abelam Korumbo is left to rot after the conclusion of the initiation cycle that led to the construction of the building. After numerous discussions between various staff at the Gallery and subsequent consultations with the artists in Brikiti and Tongwinjamb villages, a decision was made for them to travel to Australia to work with more permanent, non-traditional materials. This paper examines how this decision was made and the artists’ responses to the new materials. The discussion includes consideration of the cultural differences between the artists’ and the Gallery staff’s understanding of these works. It also elaborates on the tensions that exist between the traditional practices of destroying the objects versus the concept of conservation that is a fundamental principle at the heart of collection practices in western museums. Such ideas are explored further through references to the history of collecting Malangan (spectacular wooden carvings prepared for mortuary ceremonies) from the New Ireland province of Papua New Guinea.