Life, Death & Magic: 2000 Years of Southeast Asian Ancestral Art

Robyn J. Maxwell, National Gallery of Australia. For thousands of years, across mainland and island Southeast Asia, the deification of significant ancestors and the veneration of spirits of nature has formed the basis of traditional beliefs. These beliefs are in turn the impetus for the creation of splendid and extraordinary works of art in fibre, stone, metal, wood and clay made to protect and give pleasure to the living, to honour the ancestors and to secure safe passage for the human soul between this world and the afterlife. "Life, Death and Magic" provides an evocative overview of the regions ancestral arts and culture, from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Beautifully designed, it is prolifically illustrated with works of art from countries and regions including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia,Vietnam, Taiwan, East Timor, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia and southern China, all drawn from museums around the world and the National Gallery of Australias exceptional collection of Southeast Asian art.…