Exhibition of revived Papuan paintings to open in Tokyo

Asian Economic News, Jan 24, 2000

TOKYO, Jan. 21 Kyodo

Amid intensified claims for independence in Indonesia's Irian Jaya (Papua), the Indonesian Culture Plaza (GBI) is organizing a bark-cloth painting exhibition from the former Dutch colony from Jan. 25 to March 25 in Tokyo.

"This is a microcosm of spirits and tropical small animals. Paintings with genuine natural raw materials produce a warm atmosphere," Seiichi Okawa, head of the culture-exchange arm of the Indonesian weekly magazine GAMMA, said.

Nonwoven bark-cloths have been used widely as wrap-around skirts among Irians (Papuans) in the past and particular images of interlocking spirals, lizards and snakes on the bark-cloths are considered to represent the authority of rulers or are associated with lucky charms for successful hunting or a plentiful diet, according to Okawa, who is also Tokyo bureau chief of the Indonesian weekly.

The paintings -- known as kombow or maro paintings -- are particularly from areas on and around the coast of Lake Sentani, west of the provincial capital Jayapura, and were enthusiastically sought by European art museums, collectors and surrealist painters in the early 20th century.

With the advance of modern civilization, however, people no longer wear the bonded materials. Eventually kombow paintings almost vanished between the outbreak of the World War II and the 1980s.

Even after the independence of Indonesia, Dutch rulers remained in the region. In 1963, Indonesian forces occupied the colony and a then hurriedly convened assembly of village chiefs approved Jakarta's sovereignty.

In the 1990s, once feared lost kombow painting was revived at several villages on the coast of Lake Sentani thanks through efforts by an anthropology museum at Cenderawasih University, the highest educational institution in Irian Jaya.

Revived kombow paintings are now very popular among tourists to the province.

To make bark-cloth, local residents first gather bark from trees in the remote tropical rain forest and then pound the bark for several days and pour water on them for several days.

"Like tribal paintings in Africa, the kombow paintings use only three colors -- black, white and red. They use soot for black, red earth for red and lime for white," Okawa said.

Okawa's Indonesian Culture Plaza has been conducting a survey trip to collect the best kombow paintings around Lake Sentani for the past three years.

His interest in Indonesia dates back to his student days when he joined an expedition to then Irian Jaya as a member of Waseda University's Expedition Club.

His daughter Raira, who studied in Jayapura until last year as the first Japanese student at Cenderawasih University, helped in looking for kombow painters around the lake.

In a field survey, Raira encountered Ismail Nere, one of the most talented kombow painters.

Nere, believed to be in his 30s, is a maverick painter who sticks rigorously to traditional techniques inherited from his father. As kombow paintings became popular among tourists, many painters in his village started using patterns and scales to draw traditional motifs, but Nere strongly opposed the fashion and ultimately had to leave his village.

The painter, who has had hearing and speaking difficulties since birth, now lives in a hut on Lake Sentani with his mother and is under the patronage of the anthropology museum at Cenderawasih University.

Whenever he uses up his stock of kombow canvases, he moves into the remote forests for two to three months in looking for good trees.

The Tokyo exhibition will include scores of Nere's paintings.

Okawa says, "This is the first-ever exhibition of (Papuan) ethnic paintings on bark-cloth to be held in Japan. You will notice the similarity and the originality in hundreds of tribal paintings with those of Ainu in Hokkaido, or other indigenous people on the African continent."

The admission is free.

About 300 items are to be displayed during the exhibition at the Indonesian Culture Plaza in Shinjuku Ward.

Despite accelerated claims for independence, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has ruled out the possibility of Irian Jaya breaking away from Indonesia although he did recently agree Irian Jaya could be called Papua.

Okawa said he is seriously concerned by separatist momentum in the province, but adds, "We are just trying to introduce wide range of Indonesian local culture known by the national motto 'unity in diversity'."

His Indonesian Culture Plaza also helps Irians to be economically independent. For example, wrap-around skirts of Irian batiks, which are on sale at the plaza, were specially designed by a Japanese designer for attracting fashion-conscious women.

For further details call 03-5331-3310.