As the world’s second-largest island and one of its most diverse cultural and linguistic environments, New Guinea has been home to an exceptional array of artists for countless generations. Instead of featuring works on paper, this seventh iteration of the Explore the Vaults series presents highlights from the museum’s collection of art from New Guinea—many of which have never been on view.

These artworks are fundamental products of generational knowledge relating to ancestry, mystical power, performances, and initiation rites. Works such as the spiritually powerful carvings of ancestral heroes known as gope or kwoi and the monumental tumbuan dance masks of male secret societies express profound connections to family histories and traditional cultural ceremonies. Many more of these objects evoke the enormously powerful spirits believed to inhabit the land who influence life and decision-making in New Guinea. Every line, carving, and pigment in a work of art are ritually significant extensions of the lived experiences and religious practices of the individual artists who created them and the community they hail from.

Though most of the artists who created these works from the MFA's collection are unknown to us, their creations reflect these extraordinary traditions of ritual, myth, and communal history. This exhibition will be one of the first of its kind in the Tampa Bay area, offering an unprecedented look at the rich cultural traditions of New Guinea.

Admission
MFA Members - Free
Adults - $22
Seniors (age 65 and older) - $17
Military (with ID) - $17
Florida Educators (with ID) - $17
College Students (with ID) - $17
Youth (age 7 to 17) - $12
Children (age 6 and younger) - Free
Museums for All (must present SNAP EBT card) - Free