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Gods in Leather, Heroes in Wood
BINCHE—As part of the 2017 Europalia festival, the Musée
International du Carnaval et du Masque is exploring
the cultural richness of the theater practices of the Indonesian
archipelago.
From the wayang kulit shadow theater to the wayang
golek puppet theater and a variety of masked dances,
the exhibition Dieux de cuir, héros de bois presents fascinating
insight into the islands of Java and Bali, where
the culture of theater is a mix of reinterpretations, adaptations,
and creations intimately linked to the various
Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and European infl uences that
have marked the history of the region. It brings together
some one hundred pieces, thirty of which come from the
museum’s collection and the rest from the private collection
of Claude Lavallé, who is passionate about Indonesian
puppets and masks and worked for ten years at the
National Museum of Jakarta. The exhibition is on view
until March 11, 2018.
BELOW: Dana Gluckstein
(American, b. 1957), Woman
with Pipe, Haiti, 1983.
Archival pigment photograph.
25.4 x 25.4 cm.
© Dana Gluckstein.
Tribes in Transition
EUGENE AND CORAL GABLES—The exhibition Dignity:
Tribes in Transition at the Museum of Natural
and Cultural History at the University of Oregon
through December 17, 2017, captures the fl eeting
period of world history where traditional and contemporary
cultures collide. Sixty intimate black-and-white
portraits by photographer Dana Gluckstein pay homage
to indigenous peoples around the world. Taken in
Africa, the Americas, the Pacifi c Islands, and beyond,
the images tell the stories of imperiled cultures in an
age of rapid global change and shine a light on the
profound interconnectedness of all people. As Nobel
Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu once stated, “The
indigenous peoples of the world have a gift to give
that the world needs desperately, this reminder that
we are made for harmony, for interdependence. If we
are ever truly to prosper, it will be only together.”
The exhibition and its associated book, Dignity: In
Honor of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, cast light
upon the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, which was recently adopted by
148 countries. It can be seen at the Lowe Art Museum
from January 25–April 22, 2018.
Dining with Kings
LOS ANGELES—Featuring works from the Fowler
Museum at UCLA’s collection, Dining with Kings: Ceremony
and Hospitality in the Cameroon Grassfi elds
will explore the connections between food, culture,
and royal power in the palaces of the Cameroon Grassfi
elds. Ceramics, beadwork, weaving, embroidery, and
carving will serve to highlight the many ways that dining
in the palace is replete with expressions of power.
Iconography, the use of restricted or prestige materials,
and the integration of foreign styles underscore
the ways in which food culture is about much more
than sustenance: It is about ritual, diplomacy, status,
and hospitality. On view from December 17, 2017–
April 15, 2018, this exhibition was curated by Erica
Jones, the Fowler’s associate curator of African arts.
RIGHT: Shadow puppet of
Krishna.
Photo: Claude Lavallé.
RIGHT: Mask, topeng,
depicting Panji.
Photo: Claude Lavallé.
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