Haus Yuriyal: 'Garpa/Ground Paintings'

Completed in July 2023, this body of work by Papua New Guinea–based arts collective Haus Yuriyal is of great significance in the development of the group's practice, particularly the use of natural pigment and ground-based materials traditionally sought and applied in the painting of tribal fighting shields.

The kuman (shield) and its design remains a continued point of entry with the group's work, comprised primarily of members from the Yuri tribe of South Simbu, significant contributors with heritage from Southern Highlands and Enga Provinces, and custodial owners of the land on which Haus Yuriyal is based, in the Waghi Valley of Jiwaka Province.

In exercises facilitated by Yuriyal Eric Bridgeman, Haus Yuriyal has become synonymous with the revival of kuman designs, and the reinterpretation of men's practice within the hausman (men’s house), while at times also working alongside women artists, sisters, community members and tribal elders. The selection of paintings showcase one work from each individual present at the workshop, developed not only from earlier works on paper and drawings, but from each member's unique understanding of place, design and family history.

The Arebaa (Sun and Moon) shield design appears throughout the work, as well references to the Kuman Baa in which the dominant colour is white, a tribute to the Moon. Faces, skulls, birds and abstraction landscapes can be seen in this collection of ground paintings, insisting the group’s strong occupation with storytelling, connection to country, brotherhood and ancestry.

— Yuriyal Eric Bridgeman, 2023

Feature image: Haus Yuriyal's ‘Garpa/Ground Paintings’ series 2023 installed at QAG for the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial, September 2024 / Organic material on paper / Purchased 2024 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the QAGOMA Foundation / © Haus Yuriyal / Photograph: C Callistemon, QAGOMA