On 24 October, The National Museum of Qatar will open the landmark exhibition The Shape of Time: Art and Ancestors of Oceania from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over 120 works from The Met’s unparalleled collection will tell the story of creative expression and innovation over the centuries throughout the Pacific Islands. These extraordinary objects, presented while the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met is being renovated, are traveling for the first time since Nelson Rockefeller gifted the collection to The Met in 1969. The exhibition will be on view through 15 January 2024.
Curated by Dr. Maia Nuku (Ngai Tai), Evelyn A. J. Hall and John A. Friede Curator for Oceanic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Shape of Time takes a fresh look at the visual arts of Oceania to explore the deeply rooted connections between Austronesian-speaking peoples. The artefacts on display are noted for their artistic and historic value, varying from wooden sculptures to items of personal adornment and textiles. The artworks come from the many peoples of the region–from the insular region of southeast Asia to Australia and Papua New Guinea to island archipelagoes in the north and eastern Pacific—and date from the 18th century to the present.
“The Shape of Time is the latest demonstration of the longstanding collaboration between Qatar Museums and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes not only exhibition exchange but broad programmatic and scholarly cooperation,” said Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums. “Qatar Museums has long been committed to the practice of bringing the best of Qatar to the world and bringing the best of the world to Qatar. Presenting The Shape of Time with the collections and histories of Oceanic peoples alongside the stories of Qatar fulfills that mission.”
“The Metropolitan Museum of Art's mission is to study, preserve, and present art for the widest possible audience,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO. “This breathtaking exhibition features outstanding treasures from our renowned Oceanic collection, and its international tour is a reflection of The Met's commitment to sharing art and scholarship with the world. Through an extraordinary range of monumental sculpture, ceremonial masks, and regalia from the vibrant island cultures of Oceania, The Shape of Time highlights awe-inspiring artistic diversity through Indigenous perspectives and new scholarship, all brilliantly curated by The Met’s Curator for Oceanic Art, Dr. Maia Nuku. The show will surely serve as a profound source of inspiration for all.”
Exhibition Contents
Rather than conform to a strictly linear or regional presentation, the installation demonstrates the interconnectedness of Pacific Islanders and their rich cultural heritage by presenting clusters of artworks in cultural groupings within three thematic sections: Voyaging and the Ocean, Ancestors and the Land, and Time and Agency. Each of these sections explores ideas pertinent to the expansive visual language of Oceanic art and anchors the art in an overarching conceptual landscape.
Voyaging and the Ocean showcases a range of landmark works from Island Southeast Asia, including important textiles that foreground the extensive networks of maritime trade and exchange that defined early interactions between island groups in the western and northern parts of Oceania. Ideas about voyaging, vessels, and spiritual journeys are all explored with a particular focus on works from the Asmat region of Western New Guinea, collected by Michael C. Rockefeller in 1961. Works in this section establish fundamental principles for art across the region, expressing the unique relationship of Pacific Islanders with respect to their ocean environment.
Ancestors and the Land highlights the role ceremonial architecture plays within the physical landscape of Oceania. Works in this section tell a multitude of stories relating to ancestral power and performance and include some of the greatest achievements of Pacific Islanders in the realm of the visual arts: bold and monumental works such as a towering slit drum and elaborately carved ancestral figures. These compelling artworks demonstrate how Islanders use art as a bridge into the past, activating an on-going and dynamic relationship with ancestors to draw on their support in the present.
Finally,Time and Agency features works that reflect ideas about time (seasonal and cyclical as opposed to linear) and the way this unfolds in terms of visual agency and efficacy. The section draws together principal ideas in the exhibition, acknowledging new directions for thinking about life through art and guiding visitors toward an understanding not so much of what Oceanic art looks like, but why and how it looks as it does. Artworks include impressive shark reliquaries and dazzling turtle shell masks, as well as pearl shell pendants from the coastal regions of New Guinea and a suite of dynamic artworks from Aboriginal artists working in Australia today.
The Shape of Time was previously on view at the Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai, from 1 June through 20 August 2023.
The opening of ‘THE SHAPE OF TIME: ART AND ANCESTORS OF OCEANIA’ exhibition is supported by Audi.
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About the National Museum of Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) seeks to preserve and celebrate Qatar’s heritage and natural history, engage with its present, and inspire the country’s ambitions for the future. The museum, which opened in March 2019, gives voice to the country’s heritage and culture through commissioned films and artworks, storytelling, artefacts, and music, combining wide-ranging scholarship with oral histories of the people of Qatar. NMoQ is organised as a thematic and chronological sequence of galleries, which take the visitor on a 1.5-km journey through immersive, multisensory experiences that provide multiple perspectives. The iconic building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, is based on the form of the desert rose and is composed of large interlocking disks of different diameters and curvatures that surround the restored historic Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani (1880-1957), son of the founder of modern Qatar.
About Qatar Museums
Qatar Museums (QM), the nation's preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves, restores, and expands the nation's cultural offerings and historical sites, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) region with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.
Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, educate and encourage environmental stewardship and sustainable practices, and amplify the voices of Qatar's people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the Museum of Islamic Art and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery Katara, and the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum. Future museums include Dadu, Children's Museum of Qatar, Qatar Auto Museum, Art Mill Museum, and the Lusail Museum.
Through its Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station Artist in Residence, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, and the hub for innovation, fashion, and design M7—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.
Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention.
About Qatar Creates
Qatar Creates curates, celebrates, and promotes cultural activities within Qatar.
Working with partners in museums, film, fashion, hospitality, cultural heritage, performing arts, and the private sector in Qatar, the Qatar Creates platform amplifies the voice of Qatar’s creative industries, directly connecting audiences to events.