W H AT ’ S O N : J U N E – A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 A SELECTIVE ROUNDUP OF EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS – TAASA Review June 2014

Compiled by Tina Burge NSW Plumes and pearlshells – Art of the New Guinea highlands 30 May – 10 Aug 2014 Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney The peoples of the New Guinea highlands are renowned for their spectacular ceremonies, which involve hundreds of dancers festooned with elaborate body adornments, including highly prized Bird of Paradise plumes and the revered kina, or pearlshell. Sydney businessman Stanley Gordon Moriarty assembled one of the finest collections of highlands material culture during his travels there between 1961 and 1972.

Among these were exquisitely constructed headdresses, arm- and leg-bands, ear- and nose-rings and necklaces, made of feathers, shell, barkcloth, animal and plant fibres and natural pigments. Theatre of dreams, theatre of play – Nō and Kyōgen in Japan 14 June – 14 September 2014 Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Featuring 165 works – including masks and costumes as well as paintings, musical instruments and books – from the collection of the National Noh Theatre, Tokyo and the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, this is the first comprehensive exhibition of the rich material culture of nō and kyōgen theatre (nōgaku) to be shown in Australia. The beauty of the exhibits showcases Japan’s unique aesthetic sensibility and the excellence of its traditional arts and crafts.

The splendour of the masks, robes and paintings invites all who see it to appreciate this complex and sumptuous world...