Article

Profile - Todd Barlin in Journal of Oceanic Art Society

December 2020

Authors:

Margaret Cassidy

The University of Sydney

Looking at some of the many contributions made by individuals to raise the visibility and understanding of Oceanic Art with the profile of collector and dealer, Todd Barlin. Todd runs the last remaining physical gallery in New South Wales devoted solely to the art of Australia’s Pacific Island neighbours. Todd played a pivotal role in bringing particularly New Guinean and West Papuan cultures to international audiences around the Millenium. He provided the field documentation and artworks for several important exhibitions, The Asmat & Mimika in 1996 and The Marind Anim in 1999, both at the musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie in Paris which is now called Le musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. Now when you walk into the Oceanic Art Pavilion at the musee du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac the first things you see are the Monumental Ancestor Poles from the Asmat and Mimika along with a four metre long Asmat Soul Canoe, Dance Costumes and Shields all field collected in the 1980s by Barlin.

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