Sing-Sing Series 2014, Collage on Magnani Incisioni paper
Drawing inspiration from my Melanesian background to explore themes of transience & transformation
through the practice of Bilas & focus on states of hybrid identity. Bilas constitutes forms of decoration in Papua New Guinea. Traditional adornments such as face painting, piercings, jewelry made of array of items such as shells in Manus, animal bones, fur and various plant materials adorn and distinguish clan groups. Through bilas different clans represent their place and often perform in song and dance restoring clan links to the land, stories thereby sustaining culture.
That said, these representations are figments of my imagination combining collage elements comprising of fabric, paper, string, buttons and other discarded material. Each figure a creative collage of materials at hand in order to render the body as vessel through which higher states of being can be attained. The human form becomes merely an outline through which the performance maintains cultural and spiritual memory.
Drawing inspiration from my Melanesian background to explore themes of transience & transformation
through the practice of Bilas & focus on states of hybrid identity. Bilas constitutes forms of decoration in Papua New Guinea. Traditional adornments such as face painting, piercings, jewelry made of array of items such as shells in Manus, animal bones, fur and various plant materials adorn and distinguish clan groups. Through bilas different clans represent their place and often perform in song and dance restoring clan links to the land, stories thereby sustaining culture.
That said, these representations are figments of my imagination combining collage elements comprising of fabric, paper, string, buttons and other discarded material. Each figure a creative collage of materials at hand in order to render the body as vessel through which higher states of being can be attained. The human form becomes merely an outline through which the performance maintains cultural and spiritual memory.
© Karen Kaese
