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JUNGLE GEOMETRY: New Ömie Paintings from Papua New Guinea

Past exhibition
3 - 23 November 2023
  • Works
  • Overview
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Batilda Kimmikimmi, Kumunnai ohu'o sabu ahe - Black palm spear of the ancestors and spots of the woodboring grub, 2019

Batilda Kimmikimmi Papua New Guinean, 1952-2019

Kumunnai ohu'o sabu ahe - Black palm spear of the ancestors and spots of the woodboring grub, 2019
natural pigments on nioge (barkcloth)
110.5 x 67.5 cm
19-012
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The border and lines that run through the work are known as orriseegé or 'pathways' and provide a compositional framework for the designs. The or'e (path) designs are ancient and...
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The border and lines that run through the work are known as orriseegé or 'pathways' and provide a compositional framework for the designs. The or'e (path) designs are ancient and originate from the time of the Ancestors and relate to the intricate footpaths that run through food gardens and garden plots.

The design of triangles that also form crosses is kumunnai, representing an ancestral spear used during times of tribal warfare. The spear was made from the heavy and strong wood, black palm.

The spots within the orriseegé and kumunnai design are known as sabu ahe, representing the spots which can be seen on the sides of a wood-boring grub. This grub is sacred to Ömie people as it plays an important part within the creation Story of how Huvaimo (Mount Lamington) came to be volcanic. It is a traditional soru'e (tattoo design) which was most commonly tattooed running in one line under both eyes. Today it is applied to Ömie people' faces for dance performances with natural pigments.

This painting is one of the last works Batilda created before she passed away.
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