Title
Painting from ceremonial house (spirit figure with waterlillies and sun motif)
mid 20th century
collected 1965
Artists
-
Details
- Other Titles
- Bark painting (single large central figure)
Spathe painting - Place where the work was made
-
Wom Village
→
Keram River
→
Lower Sepik River
→
East Sepik Province
→
Papua New Guinea
- Cultural origin
- Ap Ma people
- Dates
- mid 20th century
collected 1965 - Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- sago palm petioles, plant fibre, natural pigments
- Dimensions
- 120.0 x 82.0 cm
- Credit
- Purchased 1965
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 372.1994
- Copyright
- © Wiski Busengin Woknot Family
- Artist information
-
Wiski Busengin Woknot
Works in the collection
- Artist information
-
Ap Ma people
Works in the collection
- Share
-
-
About
Wiski Busengin Woknot was born in Wom village, in the grassland area west of the Keram River, around 1920. His people - the Ap Ma - occupy 16 villages around the the Keram River, a tributary of the lower Sepik River in Papua New Guinea.
Painted panels are made from flattened pieces cut from the thick sheath end of the sago palm frond. Traditional pigments are clays, charcoal and powdered lime from shells. These panels are displayed in the gable ends of a 'nbad ma' (men's ceremonial house) facade, as well as in the semi-secret rear compartment of the 'nbad ma'.
This is a classical painting from Wom village with the artist's use of yellow ochre for motifs around the figure: the floral design depicts water lilies on the river and the circular motif the sun.
-
Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
Melanesian art: redux, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 17 Nov 2018–17 Feb 2019
