The Seventh Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

The classic Sepik and North Coast post and beam type of Melanesian architecture is exemplified in the grand old Iatmul men’s house in Kanganaman. Much simpler versions of the construction system are widespread in the region and across the nation The idea of the ephemeral building — here, yam vines and the ravages of the climate are weakening both the structure and the fabric of an old korumbo in Maprik town. A year after this picture was taken, the whole front of the building had fallen out and the roof was slowly collapsing in on itself Photographs: Martin Fowler Spectacular graphic displays embellish Abelam and Kwoma architecture in unique ways, creating the largest ephemeral structures in Oceania to feature painting. 1 These iconic ritual buildings of the Sepik region on the north coast of New Guinea are now less famous than those of the Middle Sepik Iatmul. Yet, the impressions that the Abelam and Kwoma buildings made when I first saw them in 1973 lasted. 2 In July 2011, as part of the APT7 curatorial team, I joined a trip to PNG to research ephemeral structures and associated contemporary Sepik artists. 3 Abelam ritual buildings were seen around Maprik, including at Brikiti, in spite of rumours suggesting that these rituals were no longer practised. 4 In Tongwinjamb we found Kwoma men’s houses still being made and used. 5 These buildings are called haus boi or haus tambaran in Pidgin English, korumbo in Abelam and koromb in Kwoma. From the mid 1950s, large, towering Abelam korumbo , with their brightly painted gables, became famous examples of Sepik architecture, and iconic of Papua New Guinea. 6 The unique external form of the Abelam korumbo focuses on a tall triangular painted facade, the centrepiece of a public display of disciplined, geometric composition. Hierarchically arranged in ascending rows of faces, it is symmetrical about a vertical axis. A carved and painted timber lintel defines the panel base. Thatched eaves protect the sides and a conical cap covers the apex. A woven bamboo skirt, two to three metres high, separates it from the ground. The ensemble is formal, controlled and coded in symbolism. Abelam men seal the many sago bark canvases that comprise their korumbo facades, panggal , with a whitish clay coating, over which they paint their designs. Abelam panggal images must align vertically, but are stitched together horizontally onto frames. Finally, the whole assemblage is lifted into place in a fast, secret operation using scaffolding and much manpower. When installed, the painted surface is tilted forward, and is always viewed by looking up. The painted panels and korumbo are designed to impress various audiences. Initiates understand the coding, identity and significance of the faces and figures. They are guided to respond to the art and taken through a visceral sensory overload, responding to the secret, charged and visually crowded interior. 7 Women, visitors from neighbouring villages and, today, tourists and others from outside the system, will have different perceptions. The elaborate facade is presented as a stage set for communal, ritual and festive village events. This presentation is translated on entry to GOMA, which only provides a glimpse of the korumbo ’s plain thatching. It is after passing the structure and turning to face it, or upon exiting GOMA, that visitors are confronted by the power of the Abelam-painted facade. An Abelam facade’s distinctive design and imagery is controlled by one senior artist who directs his team, who, for the APT7 project, was Waikua Nera from Brikiti village. Mindful of the intended international audience, commissioned artists were brought to Brisbane to work only on the facade with commercially available materials. This avoided the need for the feasts and ceremonies associated with the secret interior elements of this structure. While the art and architectural shape of the Kwoma koromb are distinctive, the ceilings are truly spectacular. This architecture’s importance was recognised by the Australian curator Douglas Newton, who undertook fieldwork in the Upper Sepik during the 1960s and 70s. Newton, seeing architecture as a revealing part of any artistic tradition, acquired a Kwoma ceiling for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in New York. Anthropologist Ross Bowden’s extensive 1970s and 80s fieldwork on Kwoma culture also resulted in deep cultural and artistic insight, which extended to graphical and architectural aspects of Bangwis village. 8 In 1969, the Ambunti council chambers were built. This most dramatic, traditional Kwoma structure was prominently located in town and was intended to house new activities. Fifteen local cultural groups contributed to this exceptionally large koromb project. 9 While its ceiling was powerfully reminiscent of gilded, light-filled, European Rococo ones, this instead played dazzling optical games against a dark and brooding background. 10 SEPIK ARCHITECTURE’S EXCEPTIONS: PAINTED ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABELAM AND KWOMA MARTIN FOWLER 230