Gleny Köhnke (b. 1948) is an Australian artist and sculptor with profound connections to Papua New Guinea and Andalucía, Spain. A fluent speaker of Tok Pisin (neo-Melanesian) and Spanish, Köhnke´s immersion in the cultures, mythologies, and traditions of Papua New Guinea and Andalucía have left an indelible mark on her work. In her paintings and sculptures spanning several periods of artistic exploration, she has consistently melded her firsthand experience of imitative magic and oral tradition with her own version of syncretic expressionism.

She has published two multidisciplinary books that combine her arts practice with archival documentation and firsthand accounts of Papua New Guinea’s legends, customs and shark-calling tradition. Her work has been widely exhibited in Papua New Guinea, Spain, Germany, and Australia, including at the University of Papua New Guinea, the Papua New Guinea Embassy in Australia, the Palau de la Música in Valencia, Spain, the Bishops Palace, Málaga, the Magna Gallery in Marbella, Spain, and the Marenostrum Gallery of the Málaga Council. Her works form part of numerous public collections, including the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, the Japanese Embassy of Papua New Guinea, and The Diocesano Museum at The Bishop’s Palace, the Casa de la Cultura and the Casa Museo de Mijas in Málaga, Spain. She recently keynoted the 5th International Museum Conference at the City of Moscow Museum with the lecture entitled “The Intrinsic Importance of Oral Tradition in Emerging Nations.”

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