From life in the rainforest to a London exhibition

For decades, the self-taught artist, Ilma Savari, and her fellow Ömie artists have continued the centuries-old tradition specific to indigenous tribes of Papua New Guinea. Savari makes impressive tapa cloth artworks - painted textiles made from bark - which are then worn as skirts or nioge. Savari’s nioge rank as artistic masterpieces. Nioge are very important features of the every-day life, culture, and traditions of the Ömie people. These tapa cloths are worn as skirts, they decorate homes, and are used for a number of ceremonial purposes.

 

The impressive iconography of these works stems from ancient artistic traditions and combine motifs inspired by traditional Soru'e tattoos and figurative elements collected from close observation of the surrounding natural world. Through nioge, the Ömie people preserve stories of their ancestors and record spiritual teachings.

 

Rebecca Hossack travelled to Papua New Guinea in 2019, where she made the five-day journey through the jungle to Mount Lamington, the volcanic slopes on which the Ömie live. The Ömie’s artistic culture and the clarity of their way of life enchanted Rebecca, and she remained profoundly impressed by Ilma Savari’s artistic vision.

 

Hossack decided to use her London exhibition space to invite the artist to display her work to the rest of the world. Hossack’s London galleries were the first art spaces in Europe where Australian Aboriginal art was exhibited. For the ensuring three decades, Rebecca Hossack has been promoting non-Western art in her galleries in London's Fitzrovia.

 

The exhibition, Eye of the Sun, will run from the 5 - 30 of November at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery (2a Conway Street, Fitzroy Square, London's Fitzrovia). If you happen to be in London at that time, come by the gallery, as the exhibition is a unique and transformative experience to learn about the Ömie community and indigenous art.