Gender, Location, and Tradition: A Comparison of Two Papua New Guinean Contemporary Artists By Jacquelyn A. Lewis-Harris

Harris begins her article with citing the two types of contemporary art prominent in Papua New Guinea (PNG): the “arts gallery” faction and the “neotraditional” group. The first group uses foreign media and styles that are directly influenced by Western art. The artists that produce these works are usually graduates of universities or government schools. Neotraditionalist artists use functional village art forms or traditional ritual objects in their work. Harris states, “the majority of neotraditional art is sold in the international artifact and handcraft market, and only a small portion is produced for domestic consumption.” Both of these categories are used to preserve the traditional forms of ceremonies and arts as a way of attracting much desired tourist income.
Two artists are compared in this article are Saun Anti and Wendi Choulai. Saun Anti was a highly regarded carver from Indabu village. His art began to threaten the cult’s spiritual power and authority because he was reintroducing an “old” form that was not sanctioned by current societal members. As a holder of sacred traditions and a member of high standing in his tambaran, Anti’s spiritual influences in his sculptures posed a possible threat to the power of his tambaran cult.
Wendi Choulai is another artist of PNG. She was the first Solien Besena female who graduated from the National Arts School, and conveyed her mixed heritage in her paintings. She challenged gender roles in her society and although she was forced to respond to clan, national, and international concerns, she was successful in negotiating her way through conflicts and obstacles.
Reading about Anti and Choulai gave me a broader perspective about the trials and tribulations of being a contemporary artist in PNG. They not only have to respect traditions and rituals in their individual cults, but the also have to keep up with the ever-developing world-art world.