Pasifika Styles in Cambridge

Pasifika Styles
5 February 2006 - February 2008
University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Downing Street
Cambridge CB2 3DZ

Seemingly in response to the recent Polynesian exhibitions at the British Museum and UEA's Sainsbury Centre, Pasifika Styles at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology "unites the new wave of contemporary Pacific art and culture with extraordinary historical collections." From the culturally accepted to the provocatively unexpected, Pasifika Styles fuses contemporary style and technological innovation with ancient traditions.

As a long time admirer of Polynesian Pop, I found this showcase of "New Zealand's top contemporary and emerging artists" to be a refreshing examination of the relationship between global pop culture and traditional Polynesian culture. Of course, this collection is decidely more Pop Polynesian than Polynesian Pop.



The exhibition is free to the public and at the museum for another year. So, in one sense there's plenty of time to catch it. However, the museum is only open Tuesday to Saturday, 2:00pm to 4:30pm - so time your visit well! I recommend allowing 45 minutes to an hour to enjoy the exhibition and the rest of the museum at a leisurely pace. A good way to plan your visit might be to check out the events page of the exhibition's website, which mentions a week long festival for May of this year.





















Photography by Tiki Chris © 2007

Click here to visit Pasifika Styles online.
Click here to visit the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology online.