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JUNGLE GEOMETRY: New Ömie Paintings from Papua New Guinea

Past exhibition
3 - 23 November 2023
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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Ilma Savari (Ajikum'e), Design of the bush snail, design of the navel, spots of the wood-boring grub, tattoos and beaks of the parrot, 2018

Ilma Savari (Ajikum'e) Papua New Guinean, b. c1968

Design of the bush snail, design of the navel, spots of the wood-boring grub, tattoos and beaks of the parrot, 2018
natural pigments on nioge (barkcloth)
119 x 72 cm
18-051
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Ilma Savari has painted vaig'e, the design of the bush snail. The central circle represents the bush snail shell. Bush snail shells are usually found in the rainforest, and were...
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Ilma Savari has painted vaig'e, the design of the bush snail. The central circle represents the bush snail shell. Bush snail shells are usually found in the rainforest, and were used in the time of the Ancestors for the important social custom known as haiwu'e, the chewing of betelnut. This Custom is practiced in everyday life but especially during feasting and dancing after ujatvé initiation tattooing rites as well as for marriage ceremonies. The shell would be ground up into a powder, similar to lime powders used today, and then chewed with the fruit of the betelnut. It is said that betelnot-chewing enduces a trance-like state in the dancer.

A number ofuiawé sorb (initiation tattoo designs) can also be seen in the work, including:

- The diamond-shaped design, vinohu'e, was tattooed around men's navals during the ujawé initiation rite. Vinohu'e literally translates to 'design of the navel'. This design is sometimes also referred to as Siha'e - fruit of the sih'e tree. Sihe is a yellow fruit found in the rainforest and often eaten by cassowaries. In the time of the Ancestors during times of tribal warfare, the Ömie male warriors had no food while they were defending their borders in the forest far from their villages so they survived by chewing the sihe fruit, swallowing the juice and then they would spit out the pulp.

- surrounding the diamond-shaped vinohu'e design, the solid black zig-zag/savvtooth design, taigu'e taigu'e - pattern ofa leaf.

- The curly ends of the taigu taigu'e are odunaigö'e - a climbing jungle vine with thorns and tendrils.

- The radiating fans of solid black saw-tooth triangles from the central, circular bush snail shell design are moköj•e ani — beaks Of the parrot.

It is important to note that the high level of detail in this work comes from the strong influence of Ilma's mother and nioge barkcloth) painting teacher, Sarah Ugibari, a highly respected elder. As with most of Ilma's paintings there is a fusion of both Ömie and Managalas designs.
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