"Published in conjunction with the National Gallery of Australia's exhibition Life, Death & Magic : 2000 Years of Southeast Asian Ancestral Art, Canberra 13 August-31 October 2010"--Colophon.

Includes bibliographical references.

Origins of Southeast Asian ancestral art -- The village and the ancestral house -- Fertile Southeast Asia -- Gendered Southeast Asia -- Power, wealth and magic -- Death and funerals -- Ancestors and altars.

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 fiber, stone, metal, wood, and clay--made to protect and give pleasure to the living, to honor 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 Southeast Asia's ancestral arts and culture, from prehistoric times to the twenty-first century. Beautifully designed, it is illustrated with works of art from countries and regions including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, East Timor, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, and southern China, drawn from museums around the world.
Provides an evocative overview of the region's ancestral arts and culture, from prehistoric times to the twenty first century. Prolifically illustrated with works of art drawn from museums around the world and the National Gallery of Australia's exceptional collection of Southeast Asian art.