Pacific Island Artists: Navigating the global art world

Abstract

In this volume, the writer and editor aims to contextualize and address issues associated with contemporary Pacific art. Karen Stevenson' s introduction notes that the impetus of the collection arose from sessions at the Association for Social Anthropologists in Oceania's (ASAO) conferences and developed over a number of years with input from Robert Welsh and Vilsoni Hereniko. Although some of the fifteen chapters are directly derived from the ASAO sessions, Stevenson invited other contributors including artists, a commercial gallerist, and curators to interject distinctive perspectives. Chapter 14, the late Jim Viveaere' s interview with his friend and colleague Shigeyuki Kihara is a reminder of what so many adored and respected about Viveaere as an artist, curator and pivotal figure in the Pacific arts community. The dialogue delves into Kihara' s background, inspiration and strategies and reminds readers that Pacific artists are inspired by and engaged with global art communities in addition to local and regional associations.