Übersee Museum Bremen: The world is our guest and we are allowed to be the hosts.

Diversity is THE theme of the Übersee-Museum: the diversity of life, of living together and of perspectives on our world. To do our part in preserving this diversity, we collect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage for the future. The basis of our work in research, exhibition and outreach are our collections. For this reason, we focus on topics relevant to the present concerning non-European natural areas and cultures as well as Bremen’s economic connections and trade relations. This also includes fundamental natural history phenomena.

We look to the future without losing sight of our past. Therefore, we critically examine the history and origin of our collections. Cooperation and exchange with people from the communities and countries from which our collections originate is particularly important to us. Our work is characterized by interdisciplinarity, collaboration and curiosity about the world. We find this enriching and would like to infect others with our curiosity and enthusiasm for the diversity of the world.

The Übersee-Museum has a large collection of around 10,000 cultural objects from Papua New Guinea. Significantly, the museum is conducting provenance research relating to its New Ireland and Malangan mask collections. In the new exhibition, „Der Blaue Kontinent: Inseln im Pazifik“, we present an overview of Papua New Guinea in the section on Colonialism. This is important for visitors to understand the history of Germany’s connection to the region, as well as the shipping and trading routes that enabled these cultural objects and scientific specimens to reach Bremen

Among its highlights from PNG are elegant malanggan effigies and ceremonial masks decorated with shell inlay and pigment, objects that convey both the artistic refinement and symbolic power of Papua New Guinea’s ceremonial traditions.

These works exemplify the museum’s long history of curating across disciplines, bringing together art, ethnography, and natural history to present a multifaceted understanding of world cultures. Through this approach, the Übersee-Museum offers a uniquely textured perspective on Papua New Guinea’s heritage and its enduring significance within global cultural history.

To find out more click on the links below

https://www.uebersee-museum.de/

https://blue-continent.de

"We are excited to contribute to the Wan Bel global exhibition and to engage in dialogue with visitors, communities and audiences.“

Dr. Safua Akeli,

Head of the Department of Ethnology and Curator Oceania, Ubersee Museum, Bremen