11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

NOTES 1 Born in Mingu Village, in the Gembogl region of Simbu Province, Mathias Kauage was a renowned Papua New Guinean artist, who was considered by some to be the ‘father’ of modern art in his country. His early works explore life growing up in Simbu Province, including trips to Kundiawa and the changes that exposure to the new ways of town brought to the people of the Western Highlands. 2 Refer to the moving-image work by Yuriyal Bridgeman and Yal Ton (collaborative group, est. 2012) titled The Fight 2008 (single- channel HD video: 9:46 minutes, looped, colour, sound) in the QAGOMA Collection. 3 Eric Bridgeman, amended quote from ‘Wait man kam (White man is coming)’, 4A Papers , issue 4, May 2018, <4a.com.au/articles/ wait-man-kam-eric-bridgeman>, viewed March 2024. 4 Graeme Were, ‘Contemporary textiles and the social fabric of life’, in Threads: Contemporary Textiles and the Social Fabric [exhibition catalogue], Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2011, p.22. 5 Haus Yuriyal’s decision to highlight the creative expression of Yuri women alongside their own is rare in the largely patriarchal organisation of Papua New Guinean society, where gender equality is a significant challenge. Gikope has also curated a program of events for the Kamkau Ike ( Haus Toktok ) component of the Haus Yuriyal display. Created for speeches accompanying important events — such as the campaign launch for a political candidate, the opening of a new school, or ceremonial events — these highly ornamented structures have become an important part of Yuri culture. The bilas (ornamentation) of the structure in the Triennial has involved an extended group of fathers and uncles living in the distant Yuri village who have created pit-pit blinds, which have been woven with a traditional diamond-shaped design. The Kamkau Ike provides the focal point for Haus Yuriyal’s presentation that also incorporates a Piksahaus (picture house), in which audiences can listen to the sounds of the Yuri and watch videos of the clan in their mountain homes. Haus Yuriyal’s project for the Triennial began long before the kuman paintings or the Kamkau Ike and its bilas were completed, with Gikope planting varieties of sugar cane, banana and taro in the Sculpture Courtyard of the Queensland Art Gallery in late 2023. Gikope’s garden was then extended with the planting of other crops in the months leading up to the opening of the exhibition, allowing time for them to grow, ahead of the men arriving to complete the structural components of their work, and their collective journey. RUTHMcDOUGALL (clockwise from above left) Kale Philip with his kuman (shield) painting Selvabe #2 2024; John Laif with his kuman painting Waghi Bird, Kai Kangil 2024; Enock Aron with his kuman painting Pupulaki 2024; Mondo Munum with his kuman painting Garpa Kura 2024 / Images courtesy: The artists and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane / Photographs: Digine Dickson Members of the Huas Yuriyal collective with Garpa (Ground) paintings, Jiwaka, Papua New Guinea 2023 / Photograph: Digine Dickson ASIAPACIFICTRIENNIAL