This spring I was privileged to be able to visit our artists in Papua New Guinea. Once more I was overwhelmed by both the power and beauty of the works created by these contemporary master carvers of the Sepik River, and once more I enjoyed the warm fellowship and hospitality of our many friends along the river.
Life in Sepik villages seems as tranquil as always (though one still wakes to the clarion calls of the early rising Sepik roosters); however, there has been a change that has brought increased prosperity to many there. Cultivation of the vanilla bean recently began as a project of the World Wildlife Fund in an attempt to create income that would not result in loss of the virgin forests. It is a perfect crop for the Sepik region because it grows like other forest plants, draped around other vegetation, part of the jungle canopy. It is now a common sight in Wewak, capital of East Sepik Province, to see the growers from the river lining up to sell to the wholesalers who make regular visits to the town.
On this trip I was accompanied by Dan Lepsoe. Together we conducted video interviews with many artists and recorded vignettes of life on the river. For the first time we were able to record the artists telling the myths and legends on which their work is based. Apart from the obvious value of these stories to assist us in better understanding their creations, they also help to ensure that these tales are not lost from the culture.
New Voices of the Tambaran is our biggest Sepik exhibition since Ceremony and Passage in 1996. It is a collection of thirty seven major works representing the height of individual creativity still securely grounded in the rich Iatmul tradition.
Among the highlights of the collection are Angelina Gumowe's increasingly imaginative weavings of the creatures that inhabit her environment. These include an endearing figure of a mother holding her baby, a scorpion, a cuscus (possum), a crocodile, and a fanciful creation of a bird known on the Sepik as a guru. Since our last visit to Kaminibit, Angelina has gained considerable confidence and awareness of herself as an artist. She says, "In my mind I dream and then I weave."
Zacharias Waybenang created two magnificent storyboards (1, 2) for the show, carved in deep relief, depicting lively scenes on the river. Plasus Asapi's flock of birds discuss village affairs. Kaua Gita's Man and His Dog epitomizes this universal companionship. Kaua says, "When we go to the bush, my dog can fight with the wild pig while I am hunting. After I have walked for a full day and I am tired, I wash and eat my late dinner and go to bed, and my dog looks after the house. If a rascal comes in, my dog will wake me up."
Renowned for his delicate, exquisitely carved flutes, Kaminibit artist Sylvester Tungi has contributed two of these to this collection. One will become a part of the collection of the Daetz Centrum Museum of Contemporary Wood Carving in Germany, which opens its Papua New Guinea wing later this month. The other is featured in this exhibition.
I hope that you enjoy the treasures contained herein.
-Elaine Monds, Director
