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OCEANIA

The Museum’s collection of Oceanian artefacts comprises only around 800 objects. Our Australian exhibits are too scarce to form a separate subsection. The Oceanian stock, although not numerous, is diverse enough to illustrate many cultural phenomena observed in this geographical area. The largest subgroup is made up of objects hailing from Melanesia, mostly New Guinea and Vanuatu. They are a
testimony to tradition, cultural change, and new social developments in the region. The Museum holds everyday, ritual, and tourist objects as well as works by contemporary artists, including Alphonse Kauage. The collection was built up through purchases and gifts coming from Andrzej Wawrzyniak, the Museum’s director, Maciej Bocheński (Polish navy captain living in Vanuatu), Nicolai Michoutouchkine (collector and patron of Oceanian arts), Magdalena Abakanowicz (world-famous sculptor), Mieczysław Strzechowski and Monika Strzechowska (the Museum’s custodians), and Jakub Urbański and Anna Urbańska (biologists and travellers). Polynesia is represented by a few objects, mainly tapa cloths made from bark, which is used in place of textiles in the region. Unfortunately, the Museum does not currently hold objects from Micronesia.
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