Present Encounters : Papers from the conference of the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1996

M ichael A. Mel Papua New Guinea Culture: Perceptions and Realities An underlying perception held by Westerners has been that while Papua New Gu i neans have tried to hang on to their traditional values and beliefs, the West has made considerable i n roads into PNG cultu re. As a resu lt, it is claimed , many of the local or traditional processes and practices have virtually died . The rhetoric has been to lament the loss of a true culture and in the process continue to yearn with nostalgia for a rich and ancient past. Within the context of this xenophobic hysteria, the contemporary images of PNG culture as syncretism and pastiche are categorised as kitschy and even vilified as the grotesque manifestations of d iverse cu ltu res that have failed to survive the onslaught of Western images and ideas. As a Papua New Guinean I acknowledge the profound changes that have eventuated si nce colonisation. However in this paper I wou ld like to contend that there are authentic Papua New Guinean perceptions and voices within the cl imate of change. The juxtaposing by Papua New Gui neans of 'outside' val ues with those of 'within', provides an i nteresting and complex social and cultural potpourri . As contemporary artists within PNG, we are located i n the midst of these changes and infl uences. We a re steeped in h istory with specific processes and practices, at the same time encountering and engagi ng new changes and influences. Our role then as artists is to bring the voices of bei ng Papua New Guinean - voices that will promote and engender a genuine dynamic and be excitingly different from those of cultural loss and cultural annihilation . I n this forum, and i n the bri ef time I have with you , I would l i ke to share with you some of my ideas, relati ng firstly to the various art practices and processes in PNG, and secondly to a dynamic view of cu ltu re. I will talk about the Mogei culture since I am more familiar with it. I ndeed it would be politically correct because I know it, I feel it, I sense it, and I live it. Within the Mogei culture our artistic practices are underwritten by two significant points. Firstly, our art in all its shapes and forms relates to the fact that it cannot be identified and tal ked about distinctively as art objects, or artistic products. We cannot separate 'normal' life as distinctly separate from our art. Neither can our art be solely seen or categorised as practices relating entirely to our ancestors and other 'bei ngs'. It cannot be seen as a means of gaining material wealth and accessing and building social relationships. Our art defies these rather convenient categories. Our art is the re lationship between them , and a summation of all of these together. We are not concerned with looking at a single object like a dance , a mask, a headdress or an item as an artistic entity. We see these as a myriad collection of items that come alive and live through performance. The way we move , talk, decorate, sing, dance , relate to and maintain ourselves with others is more to do with personal actions and behaviour which lead to a community of experience. Our art is more about relationshi ps, both personal and social . Secondly, within Mogei culture, our art is corporeal . Our art is brought into l ight and made to be experienced though the body. Seeing art is not something qu ite distinctive and separate from the h uman body; i ndeed it is not withi n our culture to tal k about the essence of what is art as opposed to the human body. The art of the Mogei is an experience through and with the body. It is a process of intersubjective communication. The decorated body is not seen as a decorated entity quite separate and d isti nct from the world . The decorated body is a presence , a sign i n other words, i n which our art is translated and transformed into a performance process. The actual physicality of the adorned body - the decorated , movi ng, living and libidinal body - enables the construction of a personal self that is constituted within a social milieu. Al low me briefly to take these two points in the context of the materials that go to constructing the wigs and headd resses. Most of the feathers on the headdress come from many species of the Bird of Paradise. Some of the beads are constructed of natural material l i ke seeds, while others are plastic. Among the feathers one may see bits of coloured paper, plastic wrapping , beautiful plumes, bush twines woven by hand and various other odds and ends. Some of these bits and pieces may even surprise you . The assemblages of items 53