Spirit Faces

By Australian Museum

Australian Museum

What’s in a face? Humans have bestowed faces and their artistic representations – whether human, animal or spirit – with incredible importance and power, using them to express beliefs and create identities.

Among mask (E46408) (Purchased in 1938)Australian Museum

Spirit Faces

Masks have the potential to transform personalities or capture a being’s essence and take on significance well beyond their physical form. As objects, these masks link to both past practices and living cultures and have influenced modernist artists such as Matisse and Picasso. As faces, they continue to ‘speak’, inspire, scare and enthrall.

Bird mask (E087527), Purchased in 1994, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Kovave mask (E23153), Purchased in 1915, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Tumbuan mask (E61887), Collected in 1964, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Baining mendaska mask (E75755), Purchased in 1978, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Owl head mask (E525), Purchased in 1887, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Among mask (E46408), Purchased in 1938, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Kanak masks (E7646 and E7647), Purchased in 1898, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Kanak masks (E7646 and E7647), Purchased in 1898, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Carved face (E61505), Collected in 1964, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Funerary mask (E546), Purchased in 1887, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Tago mask (E1904), Purchased in 1888, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Lor mask (B7231), Purchased in 1885, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Susu mask (E19198), Purchased in 1911, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Baba Tagwa or baba kumbu mask (E76640), Purchased in 1980, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Eharo mask (E26260), Purchased in 1920, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Ceremonial mask (E572), Purchased in 1887, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Over-modelled mask (E80490), Donated in 1986, From the collection of: Australian Museum

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Credits: Story

The Australian Museum would like to acknowledge The Papua New Guinea National Cultural Commission, for their collaboration and advice of "Spirit Faces" exhibition.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Australian Museum

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