AKIS 2:1397

Timothy Akis was born in Tsembaba village in the Simbai Valley, Madang Provence, Papua New Guinea. He worked as a labourer at a copra plantation and, for about six weeks in 1969 and 12 weeks in 1971, Akis studied at the Centre for New Guinea Cultures at the University of Papua New Guinea. He subsequently accepted a scholarship to the Centre for Creative Arts, Waigani, Port Moresby (now called the National Arts School) and continued with this periodically over the next four years. Akis's work incorporates traditional tribal drawing styles into his projection of a contemporary face of regional Papua New Guinea. In addition to screenprinting, Akis used ballpoint and felt pens as well as ink to create his weirdly beautiful interpretations of animals. He had seven solo exhibitions in New Guinea and was included in many group exhibitions in Australia. He died in 1984.

This work shows a young boy; below him is a frog, a lizard and a shield with a face on it; above him are a bird and another lizard. All the bodies are schematised, the parts filled with a different decorative geometric pattern.