Press and Editorial
Mighty art beat
5 August 2008Elizabeth Fortescue
» View Mighty art beat exhibition
When Michel Ringie beats the huge, hollowed-out tree trunk that is his mighty drum, he can ``speak'' to communities far from his village of Fantan on the island of Ambrym in Vanuatu.
Using a series of drum beats, Ringie, 27, can send out a message that someone has died in his village or offer an invitation to come to a ceremony on the dancing-ground at Fantan.
Ringie is a farmer and member of a secret-sacred society called Rom, which numbers about 2000 people and which governs the ritual life of the community.
Ringie is also officially anointed with the right to carve designs for use within the hierarchy of chiefdom.
He left home for the first time to perform on the drums at an exhibition of artworks from Ambrym which is on at Annandale Galleries.
David Baker, president of the Oceanic Art Society, who organised the exhibition, says it is the largest display of sacred art from Ambrym ever to leave Vanuatu. The art of Ambrym is characterised by imposing wooden carvings.
If you know how to ``read'' the carvings, says Baker, you can tell a lot about the village and who lives there. Other carvings can be found beside walking tracks in the lush, humid terrain of Ambrym. Such carvings are never removed, but allowed to simply rot away.
Many of the sculptures, masks and headdresses in the exhibition have been used in ceremonies, and their rarity has attracted the attention of public collections.
The National Gallery of Australia, the Australian Museum, Queensland Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria have all bought large sculptures from the show.
* 110 Trafalgar St, Annandale; until August 23, 95521699 annandalegalleries.com.au
» View Mighty art beat exhibition
When Michel Ringie beats the huge, hollowed-out tree trunk that is his mighty drum, he can ``speak'' to communities far from his village of Fantan on the island of Ambrym in Vanuatu.
Using a series of drum beats, Ringie, 27, can send out a message that someone has died in his village or offer an invitation to come to a ceremony on the dancing-ground at Fantan.
Ringie is a farmer and member of a secret-sacred society called Rom, which numbers about 2000 people and which governs the ritual life of the community.
Ringie is also officially anointed with the right to carve designs for use within the hierarchy of chiefdom.
He left home for the first time to perform on the drums at an exhibition of artworks from Ambrym which is on at Annandale Galleries.
David Baker, president of the Oceanic Art Society, who organised the exhibition, says it is the largest display of sacred art from Ambrym ever to leave Vanuatu. The art of Ambrym is characterised by imposing wooden carvings.
If you know how to ``read'' the carvings, says Baker, you can tell a lot about the village and who lives there. Other carvings can be found beside walking tracks in the lush, humid terrain of Ambrym. Such carvings are never removed, but allowed to simply rot away.
Many of the sculptures, masks and headdresses in the exhibition have been used in ceremonies, and their rarity has attracted the attention of public collections.
The National Gallery of Australia, the Australian Museum, Queensland Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria have all bought large sculptures from the show.
* 110 Trafalgar St, Annandale; until August 23, 95521699 annandalegalleries.com.au