News Archive

The rich and diverse art produced during the ‘Age of Spices’ will be the subject of a special lecture series presented by the Institute of Advanced Studies at The University of Western Australia and the Art Gallery of Western Australia later this month.

The series was created to compliment the Treasure Ships: Art in the Age of Spices exhibition, on display at the Art Gallery of WA from 10 October 2015 - 31 January 2016. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Art Gallery of South Australia and features the remarkable and diverse art produced for global markets from the 1500s to early 1800s.

The lecture series will feature local and national scholars who will provide an in-depth look at some of the art and culture of this remarkable era.

James Bennett, Curator of Asian Art at Art Gallery of South Australia and co-curator of the Treasure Ships: Art in the Age of Spices exhibition will give the first talk on 21 October. His lecture will explore the cultural impact of globalization on the art of Indonesia during the Age of Spices.

On 4 November, Corioli Souter, Curator in the Department of Maritime Archaeology at the WA Museum and Adjunct Lecturer in Archaeology at The University of Western Australia will discuss the Australia Research Council (ARC) funded project ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties’. This project builds on the early work by the WA Museum, which pioneered underwater archaeological excavations centred on shipwrecked Dutch United East India vessels that passed through the Indian Ocean. Corioli's talk will provide an overview of these excavations, with a special focus on the 2015 excavations of the Batavia related sites.

The final talk will be presented by Yasmin Haskell, Cassamarca Foundation Chair of Latin Humanism at The University of Western Australia on 12 November. Professor Haskell’s talk will explore the role of the Jesuits during the Age of Spices and will highlight the role that ‘exotic’ arts, crafts, and other cultural products played as tools for conversion and in fortifying Jesuits’ sense of their global, corporate identity.

Visit www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/treasureships for more information on the lecture series.

Visit the Art Gallery of WA for full details on the exhibition, including booking information.

Media references

Audrey Barton (Marketing and Communications Officer, UWA IAS) (+61 8) 6488 4797