KANAK: ART IS A WORD Paris—While New Caledonian art is unquestionably one of the major artistic forms of the Melanesian cultural area—and thus all of Oceania—exhibitions devoted to it are relatively rare. The most important events to date have been the Exposition Néo-Calédonienne at the Musée de l’Homme in 1934 and De Jade et de Nacre: Patrimoine Artistique Kanak, an important retrospective exhibition seen in both Paris and Noumea in 1990. Two facts should predispose France, in particular, to have a special interest in New Caledonian culture. First, there is a long and complex colonial history to consider, since New Caledonia has been under French sovereignty since 1853 and the question of self-determination remains very much alive today. Second, and this is a result of the first consideration, there are a remarkable number of New Caledonian art objects in France. These began to enter Parisian and provincial museums in the early nineteenth century. For curators Emmanuel Kasarhérou and Roger Boulay, the project of developing an exhibition on the subject began with inventorying the complete New Caledonian artistic patrimony, which is spread out over France as well as the rest of the world. This inventory, which has been ongoing since 2011, has led to the discovery of hitherto unknown and often important objects for which the new exhibition will become their first public venue. Kanak, l’Art Est une Parole (Kanak: Art is a Word), on view at Paris’ Musée du Quai Branly from October 15, 2013, through January 26, 2014, will feature more than 300 exceptional works and documents from European and New Caledonian public collections presented in the light of newly available anthropological and historical information. The exhibition will be divided into five parts: Le Verbe et la Parole (The Verb and the Word), La Maison et le Pays (The House and the Land), Le Taro et l’Igname (The Taro and the Yam), Les Ancêtres et les Esprits (The Ancestors and the Spirits), and La Personne et Ses Liens (The Person and His Relationships). The patrimony of New Caledonia will be examined first from the perspective of the New Caledonians themselves. Following that will be a fascinating counterpoint that looks at Western views of the New Caledonian world through the presentation of documentary source material. Complementing the Parisian show, several provincial museums with strong New Caledonian collections (Rouen, Cherbourg, La Rochelle, Angoulême, and Rochefort, among others) will put on simultaneous events highlighting and celebrating this little-known patrimony. Top left: Gable finial of a large ceremonial house. New Caledonia. © Musee du Quai Branly. Photo: Hugues Dubois. Lower left: Door jamb. New Caledonia. © Musee du Quai Branly. Photo: Hugues Dubois. Poster for the exhibition Kanak, l’art est une parole © Musée du Quai Branly.
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