Solomon Islands Art

The Solomon Islands comprise a double chain of seven large and more than thirty small islands, located just east of the island of New Guinea.
The main islands, which are volcanic in origin, are Choiseul, Santa Isabel, Malaita, New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Makira (San Cristobal), and Santa Cruz. The island of Bougainville, located to the northwest of Choiseul, is geographically and ethnically a part of the Solomon Islands. 

There are the Polynesian Outliers, a small number of islands which fringe the main Solomon Islands, the people of which speak Polynesian languages closely related to those of Samoa and Tonga. It is believed that Polynesian migrants mainly settled these islands, moving north from Samoa and Tonga after the original Austronesian migrations. These Outliers include Sikaiana and Ontong Java in Malaita Province, Taumako, Pileni, Tikopia and Anuta in Temotu Province, and Rennell and Bellona (a separate Province) south of Guadalcanal. These Polynesian back-migrations are thought to have occurred at different times over the previous thousand years, although there is some earlier migration.

The art of the Solomon Islands is characterized by strong sculptures with intricate designs, which utilize inlays of pearl shell. Traditionally, these artworks were either signifiers of status and prestige, or related to funerary rituals and ancestor worship. 

I first travelled to the Solomon Islands in 1986 & again in 1987. At that time the remote villages were very traditional as this was well before mobile phones & the internet. Travel was often difficult & dangerous, I remember travelling at night in a motor canoe & the waves where huge & I was so ill & scared, I was sure we might not make it back to land safely, but we did.

Staying in villages for a few weeks at a time allowed you to get to know the people & for them to get to know you, many friendships were made and I learned a lot about their art & culture. I was grateful to be invited to visit Kwaio Villages in the Highlands of central Malaita Island, I walked across the Island of Malaita spending weeks in villages. 

Many of the small Islands that are hard to get to only rarely had visitors on private yachts and were happy to have me stay with them.
There were antique artworks kept by families and also some artworks being made for traditional purposes, later in the 1990s to present there was a large revival of making artworks solely for sale, these were requested to be made by art dealers & collectors and now are seen around the world in auctions. The best Solomon Islands artists were able to provide for their families by these art commissions. 

The artworks I like the best are from the Eastern Solomon Islands, Malaita Island, Makira Island (San Christobal) Santa Ana & Santa Catalina Island were there were great traditional artists. 

Unlike other parts of Island Melanesia, masks were rarely used on the Solomon Islands. Those that did exist were restricted to the northernmost islands (such as Nissan, Buka, and Bougainville), and typically made of Barkcloth stretched over a cane frame 

Prior to the end of the nineteenth century, headhunting was considered by the Solomon Islanders as a necessary part of life that ensured the health and well-being of their community. Headhunting raids would utilize large, plank-built war canoes with crescent-shaped prows and sterns. Anthropomorphic canoe prow ornaments were standard features of the canoes. Positioned at the waterline of the vessel, these ornaments represented mythological spirits whose function was to ward off danger and ensure smooth seas. 

Shell valuables were used all through the Western Solomons and treasured as far away as Isabel and Bougainville islands. They were stored in shrines or sacred houses where they could not be tampered with or destroyed. Often, they survive in broken form; they were probably broken during ritual transfers of land use-rights. Only the owners can touch the most powerful valuables, after first asking their ancestors for permission. 

Here at Oceanic Arts Australia, we have beautiful genuine antique Solomon Islands Artworks for sale. We also are interested to buy older Solomon Islands Art. (link to WE BUY ART) 

Here are some of my favorite Solomon Islands Artworks that I have owned. We don’t use other people’s photos as advertising. All of my photos are of artworks I own or did own previously, we don’t use other people’s photos.