Sihot’e Nioge: When Skirts Become Artworks

Celebrating the Omie origin story of Papua New Guinea |21 Oct to 4 Dec 2022

Sihot’e Nioge: When Skirts Become Artworks
Doris Naumo | Omie Tapa cloth (detail) | Image courtesy of the artist and Joan Winter

Omie Tapa (beaten barkcloth) artists; Oro Province, Papua New Guinea

This exhibition celebrates the Omie Peoples’ sacred tapa making tradition. Sacred because the very first tapa or beaten bark cloth is central to the Omie peoples' creation and origin story.

"When the first man to arrive on Earth, Mina, told the first woman, Saja, to go down to the river, find the right tree, remove its bark, beat it on the river stones, then soak it in mud; together they were setting up the first Omie, cultural ritual. Saja came back wearing it, thus sanctifying the first marriage. Omie tapa, both painted and appliquéd, is the most dramatic, colourful and compositionally diverse in the Pacific region."

Their two traditional styles, the nioge and sihot'e are presented to you in this exhibition in infinite variation.

LocationDate and time
Caloundra Regional GalleryFriday 21 October to Sunday 4 December, during gallery hours

Acknowledgement

Omie Tapa Art PNG (Omie Cultural Business Group PNG Inc) and Joan Winter Baboa Gallery.