A Fine New Guinea Ancestor Pole Kamoro Mimika People Eastern Mimika Area, South Coast West Papua Irian Jaya

A Fine New Guinea Ancestor Pole Kamoro Mimika People Eastern Mimika Area, South Coast West Papua Irian Jaya

This finely carved and ochre-painted Ancestor Pole is called Mbitoro in the Kamoro Language, The Kamoro live on the South Coast of West Papua (Irian Jaya) Indonesia. These people are related to the more well-known Asmat people who live not far down the coast, their language is closely related, the Kamoro went further away to escape the endless headhunting of the Asmat in pre-European contact times.  The Kamoro people’s traditional art also shows a more quiet aesthetic than the Asmat people’s.  I traveled to this area to visit Kamoro Villages from 1985 to 1989 and I made 12 trips there and spent months living in villages, the people are very kind and generous hosts and always took great care of me.  I collected many Kamoro ceremonial artworks during this period of time. I waited for an important Mbitiro ceremony over 12 months to be finished so that I could acquire the two monumental Mbitio Ancestor poles that were 6 meters tall. These are now on permanent display at the superb Musee du Quai Branly in Paris France, they are the first artworks you see when you enter the Oceanic Art Pavillion along with many other Asmat Ceremonial Artworks, Dance Costumes, and Shields collected by me.

This fine example was made for me by the senior ceremonial artist who was in their 60s at the time.  It is a beautiful sensitive carving of an ancestor, the size is also right for a normal home being only 213cm tall.

Provenance: Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.