Galerie FlakAncient arts: Africa, Oceania, North America

News

June 3rd, 2021

New Exhibition !
Now !

Phantom
War Shields of Papua New Guinea

17 - 22 June

Paris Tribal 2021

24 - 27 June

Bourgogne Tribal Show 2021

Faces, visible – invisible

New Publication!

War clubs from Oceania

Katsinam

New AcQuisitions

photo War Shield

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

War Shield

photo Lobi figure

Africa | Burkina Faso

Lobi figure

photo Kachina doll

North America | Arizona

Kachina doll

New AcQuisitions | Australia

Churinga

photo Kachina Doll

North America | Arizona

Kachina Doll

photo Kachina Doll

North America | New Mexico, USA

Kachina Doll

photo Totokia club

New AcQuisitions | Fiji

Totokia club

photo Ere Ibeji

Africa | Nigeria

Ere Ibeji

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

Gope

photo Phantom shield

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

Phantom shield

photo Kachina Doll

North America | Arizona

Kachina Doll

North America | Canada

Spoon

photo Bambara Antelope

Africa | Mali

Bambara Antelope

photo Kachina Doll

North America | Arizona

Kachina Doll

photo Phantom Shield

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

Phantom Shield

Africa | Nigeria

Ibeji

photo Thule Whale

North America | Alaska

Thule Whale

photo Thule Seal

North America | Alaska

Thule Seal

photo Clay doll

North America | U.S.A.

Clay doll

photo Phantom Shield

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

Phantom Shield

photo Phantom Shield

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

Phantom Shield

photo Phantom Shield

New AcQuisitions | Papua New Guinea

Phantom Shield

photo Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952)

North America

Edward S. Curtis
(1868-1952)

photo Mumuye figure

Africa | Nigeria

Mumuye figure

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An unprecedented encounter between Pop Culture and

An unprecedented encounter between Pop Culture and Papua New Guinea art at Galerie Flak!

A Western comics superhero, the Phantom or “The Man who Cannot Die” became the central figure on shields of Highlands warriors following the return to intertribal fighting in the 1970s.

Discover 10 stunning Phantom war shields in our current exhibition. By incorporating images of the “The Man who Cannot Die” on their shields, Highlands warriors hoped to capture some of his symbolic power and instill fear among their opponents.

The Phantom superhero was probably introduced in the Pacific as early as the 1940s through comic strips read by American soldiers during WW2. The adventures of the Phantom were widely publicized in New Guinea newspapers from the 1970s onwards. This character quickly became a cult figure, especially in the Highlands.
__
Phantom war shield
Wahgi Valley, Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Second half of the 20th century
Height: 161 cm, width: 57 cm
The writings on the shields read:
Phantom “MAN I NO DAI” (meaning “THE MAN WHO NEVER DIES”)
Ex collection Chris Boylan, Australia

#GalerieFlak #JulienFlak #Phantom #PhantomShields #WarShield #TheManWhoCannotDie #PapuaNewGuinea #NewGuineaHighlands #NewExhibition #Comics #Superhero #PopCulture #OceanicArt #ArtCollector #ArtCollection #ArtAdvisor

Tonight is the opening of our new thematic exhibit

Tonight is the opening of our new thematic exhibition “Phantom – the Superhero of Papua New Guinea”
The show features an exceptional collection of 10 war shields from the New Guinea Highlands adorned with figures of the Phantom.

Pop Culture & Comics meet Tribal Art!

The Phantom, a comics superhero, proudly appears on a number of Wahgi Valley war shields from Papua New Guinea.
This cult hero known as "The Man Who Cannot Die" or "The Ghost Who Walks" resonates with the Highlands warriors’ beliefs and myths. He is a man-spirit, holder of his ancestors’ power (and skull!), heir to a long line of hero-combatants. All these elements echo the founding myths of the region.
The shield was the most important possession of the warrior. It was endowed with a vital force and spiritual power symbolically transmitted from the ancestors of the clan.

Get ready for the Phantom!

#GalerieFlak #JulienFlak #Phantom #PhantomShields #WarShield #TheManWhoCannotDie #PapuaNewGuinea #NewGuineaHighlands #NewExhibition #Comics #Superhero #PopCulture #OceanicArt #ArtCollector #ArtCollection #ArtAdvisor

Save the date for the next @Bourgogne_tribal_show,

Save the date for the next @Bourgogne_tribal_show, 24-27 June in Burgundy, France.
At the show, we will present this iconic Highlands war shield from Papua New Guinea.
The color composition of this shield is striking: in the Mendi Valley, red is the color of victory (and blood!).

Warfare has been at the center of Highlands life since times immemorial. The shield is considered an extension of the warrior himself. When warfare was expected, warriors repainted their shields to ensure that the colors shone brilliantly against the sun to dazzle and threaten the opposing side. Pacific shields bore the name of warriors, and possessed a life force, or spirit, that connected them to their ancestors.
Book your tickets!
 The first international art fair to be held in the countryside, in a rural setting, the Bourgogne Tribal Show offers its audience a decidedly different experience. This new edition will be held in Besanceuil, a few kilometers from Cluny, from June 24 to 27, 2021.
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Warrumbi war shield Mendi people Southern Highlands, Nembi plateau, Papua New Guinea
Early 20th century  Height: 47 ¼ in. (120 cm)

Provenance: Collected by Chris Boylan Ex collection Marcia & John Friede (Jolika collection)
Published in: “New Guinea Highlands, Art from the Jolika Collection”, De Young Museum, San Francisco, p.143

#GalerieFlak #JulienFlak #BourgogneTribalShow #PapuaNewGuinea #AncientArtsOfOcenia #ArtofWar #Shield #PapuaNewGuinea #OceanicArtCollector #TribalArtExpert #TribalArtCollector #TribalArtGallery #ArtCollector #ArtAdvisor #TribalShow

An unprecedented encounter between Pop Culture and

An unprecedented encounter between Pop Culture and Papua New Guinea art at Galerie Flak!

A Western comics superhero, the Phantom or “The Man who Cannot Die” became the central figure on shields of Highlands warriors following the return to intertribal fighting in the 1970s.

Discover 10 stunning Phantom war shields in our current exhibition. By incorporating images of the “The Man who Cannot Die” on their shields, Highlands warriors hoped to capture some of his symbolic power and instill fear among their opponents.

The Phantom superhero was probably introduced in the Pacific as early as the 1940s through comic strips read by American soldiers during WW2. The adventures of the Phantom were widely publicized in New Guinea newspapers from the 1970s onwards. This character quickly became a cult figure, especially in the Highlands.
__
Phantom war shield
Wahgi Valley, Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Second half of the 20th century
Height: 161 cm, width: 57 cm
The writings on the shields read:
Phantom “MAN I NO DAI” (meaning “THE MAN WHO NEVER DIES”)
Ex collection Chris Boylan, Australia

#GalerieFlak #JulienFlak #Phantom #PhantomShields #WarShield #TheManWhoCannotDie #PapuaNewGuinea #NewGuineaHighlands #NewExhibition #Comics #Superhero #PopCulture #OceanicArt #ArtCollector #ArtCollection #ArtAdvisor

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