Ever since humans discovered and settled the islands of the Pacific thousands of years ago, there have been many connections between the widely scattered land masses in the world’s largest sea.

With the help of more than 250 everyday objects and works of art from the Linden-Museum’s collection, the exhibition shows similarities and differences in the Pacific region. Boat models from Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia testify to the importance of the sea for trade and communication over long distances. Sculptures and masks from New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago reveal religion and unique ceremonial art. A carved house from Aotearoa New Zealand tells the continuing story of art and design in Oceania. Textiles, body jewelry, and tattooing combine the utilitarian, the beautiful, and the ritualistic – past and present.

Interactive media illuminate the provenance of the objects, their arrangement in the museum, and the work done there. Information on the acquisition history of individual collections brings into focus the colonial era, which meant sometimes violent social and political changes for the people of Oceania. The resulting social and cultural assertiveness continues to shape them to this day. This is also the subject of the exhibition.