Nieuw-Guinea - P A P O E A K U N S T on beaten tree bark

This is a unique work of art from West Papua (Papua Barat), Indonesia. These are painted on pieces of beaten and dried tree bark. In the past, they were mainly used as clothing by women. On the occasion of a party, these were often painted with all kinds of motifs. These pieces of tree bark also served as a blanket or to store something valuable. Nowadays, the tree barks are mainly used by artists as a basis for their paintings. Remarkably, they often fall back on old Papuan motifs and symbols. They usually painted with the colors red (burnt clay), black (mixture of soot and fat) and white (burnt and then crushed shells, mixed with palm oil).