A leading figure in the development of contemporary art in Papua New Guinea, Mathias Kauage began his art career in Port Moresby in the early 1970s. Hailing from Chimbu in the Highlands Region, Kauage created works that present a unique vision grounded in the culture, colours, landscapes and lifestyle of his people. He innovated with colour and humour, producing major paintings that often commented on his own experience of the radical social, cultural and political upheaval accompanying Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975. Kauage’s bold and bright paintings have inspired generations of Younger artists, many of whom he directly supported in Port Moresby. Among those who have perpetuated his legacy in compelling new ways are his wife, Elisabet Kauage, and his son, John Kauage. Independence celebration expresses Kauage’s own vision and feeling of Papua New Guinea’s shift to independence from Australia.