The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

The beauty and the danger of the man-of– war jellyfish 1992 Oil on canvas 160x350cm Collection: The artist Joe Nalo was born in 1951 on Johnston Island, Papua New Guinea, and came to Manus Island as a child. Unlike the artists associated with Georgina Beier at the Centre for New Guinea Cultures, Joe Nalo belbngs to a later group of artists who were first introduced to art in primary and secondary school. Although the first government school was established in 1944, there was a rapid expansion of the education system in the 1950s. The postwar education system and curricula were based on the Australian education system which introduced art as a core subject. Joe Nalo was encouraged to submit work for school art competitions and after gaining entry into the Port Moresby Teachers College and completing hi.s studies at Madang and Goroka, he specialised in teaching expressive arts subjects. Between 1968 and 1973 while working as a teacher he continued developing his interest in art and undertook several painting commissions. During his posting at Salamaua he met the Australian artist Lucy Walker who gave him private lessons in painting . In 1974 Joe Nalo was awarded a scholar- ship to study visual arts at the Creative Arts Centre in Port Moresby. The Centre was established in 1972 by the Education Department to expand the role of the old Centre for New Guinea Cultures. The new Centre attracted artists such as Ruki Fame, John Dangar and Kauage. Between 1974 and 1976 the Centre became a national focus for contemporary visual arts. In 1976 its courses were expanded to include music and drama PAPUA NEW GUINEA JOE NALO and it was renamed the National Arts School. After completing his studies at the Creative Arts Centre Joe Nalo joined the staff of the National Arts School and continued lecturing in painting until 1989 when the School was transferred to the University of Papua New Guinea. Since then he has continued to paint full-time for exhibitions and commissions. In 1992 he was commissioned to design paintings for the Papua NewGuinea Pavilion at the world Expo in Spain. One of Papua New Guinea's most proficient artists, in his work Joe Nalo con- centrates on mythical cycles based on the stories and oral traditions of his people from the islands off the north coast of Papua New Guinea. His subjects are always close to his childhood experiences of living near the sea and observing the seafaring activities of his fellow Manus Islanders. The turtle and fisherman painting located in the National Parliament building in Port Moresby tells the story of his father, a great fisherman in Manus. The use of underwater imagery is a recurring device used by Joe Nalo to suggest mythological layering or some altered physical or psychological state. In a series of paintings of 1990 he explores a story of lovers who must hide their identities by meeting under the sea. Nalo's paintings also have a metaphysical dimension which outlines the ebb and flow of protoplasmic forces in nature. While nearly all of Joe Nalo's images draw on traditional legends and stories there is often some wider social or ethical issue alluded to. Recently, he worked on the 'Columbus Project' which involved thirty- 100 eight artists from different countries expressing their concerns for the world's rainforests. Joe Nalo's painting The beauty and the danger of the man-of-war jellyfish contains a central motif which portrays the man-of-war jellyfish with its tentacles reaching out 'depict[ing] the Pacific nations reaching out around the world'. A response to European colonisation of the Pacific or a statement affirming the role of Pacific nations in world affairs- the artist is curiously unclear about how this work is to be interpreted. Ultimately it is the viewer who must decide if it is an allegorical tale or a political statement. Ross Searle The legend of the sunken island of Leip 1993 Oil on canvas 122x 183cm Collection: Museum fur Vtilkerkunde, Frankfurt