FREE | Friday Art Talks | Dan Toua on the Papua New Guinean Bilum

Name: FREE | Friday Art Talks | Dan Toua on the Papua New Guinean Bilum
Start: 2025-10-31T02:00:00+11:00
End: 2025-10-31T02:45:00+11:00
Location: Parkes Place East, Canberra, ACT, Australia, Australian Capital Territory 2600

Schedule

Fri Oct 31 2025 at 02:00 am to 02:45 am

UTC+11:00

Location

Parkes Place East, Canberra, ACT, Australia, Australian Capital Territory 2600 | Canberra, CT

This is a free drop-in event.
Bookings are not required, but capacity is limited.
Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Duration: 45 mins including Q&A
Join Dan Toua, former Curator, Pacific Arts, for a closer look at the importance of bilum in PNG, as part of the exhibition Bilong Papua New Guinea.
In this Friday Art Talk, Dan discusses the internationally celebrated traditional craft of bilum, highlighting its various types and their vital role in Papua New Guinea’s cultural identity, community building and artistic legacy.
Dan works and lives on unceded Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country as an emerging independent curator, sessional lecturer, board member, peer assessor and arts industry advisor. As a PhD candidate at the Australian National University, Dan is developing a curatorial handbook to guide sustainable and culturally sensitive practices in relation to Pacific cultural materials in Australian national institutions.
A first-generation Australian with Indian, Papua New Guinean and Fijian heritage, Dan bases her practice on cultural autonomy, two-way relationships and knowledge sharing. She actively contributes to global efforts to reimagine cultural collections, exhibitions, and curatorial methods with a focus on anti-colonial and reindigenised practices.
Dan co-curated with Crispin Howarth the exhibition Bilong Papua New Guinea, marking the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence. Each work on display reflects cultural heritage, historical moments, the influence of ancestors, and ongoing societal change.