Art and Life in Melanesia

Susan Cochrane (b.1949) is a scholar and curator specialising in contemporary indigenous art. Her research interests since 1984 have been in the field of recent and contemporary Pacific art and art history and the past, present and future representation of indigenous Pacific cultures in museums. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and has worked on collaborative projects in PNG, New Caledonia the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu over many years. Speaking French and Tok Pisin facilitates her cross-cultural research. She gained her MA (Hons) degree at the School of Creative Arts at Wollongong University in 1984, followed by the achievement of her Doctorate in 1995, both in the discipline of Art History. In 2005 she was awarded MPhil (Creative Writing) at the University of Queensland.Her publications include Contemporary Art from Papua New Guinea (1997), Bérétara: New Pacific Art (2001, in English and French editions) and Art and Life in Melanesia (in press). She was editor of Aboriginal Art: Highlights from Collections in Australian Museums and Art Galleries (2001) and is co-editor with Max Quanchi of Hunting the Collectors: Pacific Collections in Australia. Research and writing commissions include essays, encyclopaedia entries, feasibility studies, catalogue essays, articles and reviews for leading art journals. As a curator she headed the Department of Contemporary Pacific Art at the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia (1995-98) and was a consultant to the Asia Pacific Triennial (1996 and 1999), Sydney Olympics Arts Festival (2000) and other major arts events.

“Melanesia gets a lot of attention in Australia on matters political, economic and social under the tag of ‘failed states’ but there has been very little focus on the cultural side of things. Susan has been an ardent supporter and campaigner for arts in Melanesia and a book by her is a worthy publication supporting some of the quality things that are happening in the region.” – Dr Michael Mel, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea“Art and Life in Melanesia is based on many years of research in the area and will be an extremely welcome and timely addition to the publishing on this subject. Susan’s research and writing is of the highest quality and she has earned the respect of the field through her consistent work on contemporary Pacific arts, and this book is enhanced by the fact that she has the cooperation of many key players who assisted her with putting it together.”– Stephanie Britton, Executive Editor, Artlink“Susan Cochrane’s knowledge of her area is well recognized and highly esteemed among her colleagues, and she is also capable of presenting information in a way that is immediate and engaging with the broadest of audiences. Her combination of stringent academic skills, passion for her subject matter and a high level of communication offer a combination which promises to make a first rate publication for the broad public as well as the academic and art worlds.”– Ass. Prof. Pat Hoffie, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University“Cochrane’s book has many positive qualities, including excellent writing, abundant photos, impressive scope and a worthy ethical vision. Rather than dwelling in the aesthetic past, Cochrane foregrounds the agency, biographies, and creativity of living men and women . . . the book is unquestionably informative, useful, timely and moral.”– Eric K. Silverman, Wheelock College, Boston in Pacific Affairs: Volume 82, No. 3, Fall 2009