Galleries of Marvel

The international project Uncovering Pacific Pasts examines the ideas, people, and networks that have been critical to the development of the discipline of archaeology and influence how we deal with the long history of the Pacific. The Weltmuseum Wien is participating in this exciting project with a display cabinet showcasing the archaeology of New Guinea.

In a joint contribution, the Natural History Museum Vienna and the Weltmuseum Vienna reveal the early contributions of Austrian scientists to archaeology in the Pacific. At the same time, it shows us how biological and cultural prejudice can mislead scientific research by examining the first known archaeological excavations on the New Guinea mainland, which were carried out in 1905 under the supervision of Viennese anthropologist Rudolf Pöch (1870–1921).

In collaboration with

The human body is a central motif in the creation of art. Human figures do not always represent specific individuals but occasionally also abstract ideas or beings from other worlds. At the same time, abstract representation may also refer to actual people in real life. And not everything is recognised as a human being right away either.

Faces as reflected in masks play a vital role in communication. A face inevitably stirs up emotions and often requires just a few hints to become a clear message. All it takes are a few lines and dots for a ☺ to have an effect on us.