Agus Ongge

Country/Region: Western New Guinea (view other artists)

Village: Asei, Sentani

Agus Ongge, shown here with his wife Maria (who was born on Biak) and one of their seven children, has been carving and painting since 1982 when the practice of Sentani arts was opened up to non-members of the chiefly (ondofolo) line. He does not come from a carving lineage (which on Asei belongs to the Ohee clan), but both his father, from whom he learned, and grandfather have done art commissions. His grandfather carved the well-known Adam and Eve figures, in traditional style, that flank the altar in Asei’s Protestant church. He is the nephew of Seru Ongge, the noted barkcloth painter who died in 1995.

In the early 1990s, Agus found a livelihood providing small stenciled barkcloth designs for greeting cards to a development project run by the Evangelical Christian Church (GKI). this allowed him to develop his skills painting more traditional pieces.

To at least the late 1990s, Agus continued to use the traditional methods of painting, applying a suspension of charcoal or soot in water with the tip of a sago palm rib. Red ochre and white lime from baked shells are the other colouring agents. The use of white is not traditional, as the barkcloth formerly used (and most highly prized), made from the kombo tree, was off-white. As the supply of kombo dwindled and barkcloths in shades of brown were of necessity adopted, white paint became popular.

In addition to his career as an artist, Agus Ongge has taken a broader role in the promotion of Sentani art and culture, teaching carving to young artists for the Industry Ministry, producing several explanatory booklets and working as a liaison between tour organizations and the people of Asei, to stage dances and art exhibits for tourists.

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