See art by Austronesians, and find out who they were
The Fowler Museum at UCLA explores global arts with an emphasis on works from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the indigenous Americas—past and present. The Fowler enhances understanding and appreciation of the diverse peoples, cultures, and religions of the world through dynamic exhibitions, publications, and public programs; informed by interdisciplinary approaches and the perspectives of the cultures represented. "The Art of the Austronesians: The Legacy of Indo-Pacific Voyaging" is on view at the Fowler Museum through August 28.
"The Art of the Austronesians: The Legacy of Indo-Pacific Voyaging" is the title of a new exhibit at UCLA's Fowler Museum, but who exactly is an Austronesian, you ask?
"Technically it's a linguistic name of the second-largest language family in the world," said Roy Hamilton, senior curator of Asian and Pacific collections. "We're looking at a group of cultures related through language."
Believed to have originated in Taiwan around 5,000 years ago, Austronesian descendants progressively occupied the Philippines, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, eventually reaching as far away as New Zealand, Hawaii and Madagascar.
"The exhibit juxtaposes art from related cultures and places that people don't necessary think of together, like Taiwan and Madagascar," Hamilton said, referring to art made by descendants in the last two centuries.
With the exception of textiles from Sumatra, Borneo and Sumba on loan from private collectors, the majority of the 200 objects on view are drawn from the Fowler's Henry Wellcome collection. Some haven't been shown since 1960, and others are being exhibited for the first time. — Liesl Bradner, Apr. 30, 2016
Read the full article at the Los Angeles Times website.