Teddy ( Sapame ) Balangu

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

Tribe: Iatmul

Village: Palembei Village, Middle Sepik

Teddy Balangu was born in 1961 in Palembei Village where he has lived all his life. He is part of a large family of artists and has been traditionally trained to carve by his uncle. In 1995 he was one of twelve carvers selected to spend six months in residence at Stanford University, where he, along with other Sepik artists, created a group of monumental works known as the New Guinea Sculpture Garden.

In 2006, Teddy spent six months in residence at the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology, as the Andrew Fellow. During his stay he carved a clan post to be part of their new collection of works by contemporary Sepik artists. This work is on permanent display at MOA alongside a major work by Salish artist John Marston. The award winning film Killerwhale and Crocodile documented Marston's visit to the Sepik and Balangu's subsequent residency at MOA

Special Projects and Public Collections:

1995 New Guinea Sculpture Garden, Stanford University, USA

1999 Tjibaou Centre, Noumea, New Caledonia

2006 Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

2007 Museum of World Cultures, Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany





Exhibitions:

1989 Ancestral Spirits: The Ceremonial Art of Papua New Guinea, Gallery of Tribal Art, Vancouver, BC, Canada

1989 Saltwater Crocodile: Memory and Myth Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria, BC

1992 Pieces From Paradise, cohosted by Fran Willis Gallery / Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1996 Ceremony and Passage, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1997 Oceania, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2000 Ancestral Flights: Mastercarvers of Palembei Village, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2004 New Voices of the Tambaran, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2005 Symbols of Protection, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2006 Rhythms of the Garamut, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2010 Gallery Artists: Masterworks from the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and Papua New Guinea, Group Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC, Canada

Works by Teddy Balangu can also be found in private and public collections in Australia, Canada, Germany, France and the United States.

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