Group of 12 barkcloth paintings

This collection of 12 patterned barkcloth paintings were created by a group of Ömie artists from Papua New Guinea as part of an ongoing initiative, set up in 2004, to export contemporary versions of Pacific barkcloth paintings. The female Ömie artists draw inspiration from the local landscape as well as traditional Papuan tattoo designs. They range from senior figures, such as Brenda Kesi, to younger artists, such as Flora Oviro. Each artist works in their own recognisable style – Kesi uses appliqué while Oviro paintgs using a grid pattern – but they all work within the Papuan tradition of barkcloth painting. These paintings were – and in some areas still are – vital to ceremonial and social aspects of Papuan culture.