Two exhibitions opening in Wellington this August reveal that beyond the picture-perfect tropical island image of New Caledonia lies a country with a rich history and vibrant contemporary culture. War in Paradise tells the story of the Third New Zealand Division's time in New Caledonia during World War II, while KANAKart - Ancestral Body links traditional Kanak art and culture to contemporary works.

Image: Bourail Cemetary, Paul ThompsonTwo exhibitions opening in Wellington this August reveal that beyond the picture-perfect tropical island image of New Caledonia lies a country with a rich history and vibrant contemporary culture. War in Paradise tells the story of the Third New Zealand Division's time in New Caledonia during World War II, while KANAKart - Ancestral Body links traditional Kanak art and culture to contemporary works.

Image: Bourail Cemetary, Paul ThompsonWar in Paradise

This exhibition features an installation of photographs by the official war photographers and extracts from the Division's unofficial history series, published at the end of the war.

Brett Mason, Director of Museum of Wellington City & Sea and Curator of War in Paradise, says "The exhibition explores the soldiers' experiences and notions of the place they were in, how they related to the local people - Kanak, French, Indonesian and Vietnamese - and how they coped with living in 'the Paris of the Pacific' while preparing to confront the Japanese."

Alongside the historic images is a fresh look at New Caledonia and the New Zealand War Cemetery and Memorial in Bourail through an installation of recent photographs by respected New Zealand photographer Paul Thompson.

Installation designer David Waller has combined the old and new imagery to create a revelatory environment, a unique view of life in a Pacific country during a time of war.

Complementing this, a soundscape commissioned from Plan 9 recreates the popular New Zealand, American and French music from the period and blends it with Kaneka beats and rhythms.

When: Opens 25 August 2007
Where: Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Queens Wharf, Wellington

KANAKart - Ancestral Body

In this groundbreaking exhibition, vibrant, dynamic and diverse traditional artworks, including dramatic ceremonial masks and sacred objects of great significance from Musee de Nouvelle-Caledonie, provide a rare insight into Kanak culture.

Pataka's co-curator of the exhibition, Helen Kedgley, says that some works are startling, such as mourners' masks with human hair, while others are iconic, like the hut architrave or roof-top arrow from Tiouande.

Gilbert Bladinieres, New Caledonian cultural consultant and co-curator of KANAKart - Ancestral Body says "We didn't arrive at the theme of 'ancestral body' by accident. The figure of the ancestor and its symbolic representations are omnipresent in Kanak art.

"Whether the vehicle is a ceremonial axe, a means of currency or a sculpture, all traditional artefacts refer to the ancestor, to its body, its spirit, its mystic power, its mana.

"And this is still the case today. Although the approaches, techniques and materials of contemporary Kanak artists have evolved, they continue to proclaim this connection. And although this link to the past, this identity, is essential to their creations, it has never been an obstacle or hindered their work. Rather, it is the only means of progressing, inventing and finding a place for the artist in a society in a state of perpetual motion."

When: Opens Sunday 26 August, 2007
Where: Pataka - Porirua Museum of Arts and Cultures

War in Paradise and KANAKart - Ancestral Body are part of the New Caledonia New Zealand Season 2007, proudly supported by the Government and Provinces of New Caledonia, and France through the Fonds Pacifique. Additional support is provided by the French Embassy.

13/8/07