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
Connected objects

Kuman Arebaa (from 'Garpa / Ground Paintings' series) 2023
- HAUS YURIYAL - Collective
- TALA, Rowel - Artist

Are (Sun) (from 'Garpa / Ground Paintings' series) 2023
- BRIDGEMAN, Yuriyal - Artist
- HAUS YURIYAL - Collective
Related artists
BRIDGEMAN, Yuriyal
1986
- present
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HAUS YURIYAL
est. 2015
- present
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