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Aposiibiiruksa (Butterfly)

Wachogii
Aposiibiiruksa (Butterfly)
 1973

Medium
earth and natural pigments on sago palm petiole

Measurements
122.3 × 66.2 cm

Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through the NGV Foundation with the assistance of The Thomas William Lasham Fund, Founder Benefactor, 2001
© Courtesy of the copyright holder

Reproduction requests

Gallery location
Not on display

Artwork Details

Place/s of Execution
Bangwis village, Washkuk Hills, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

Accession Number
2001.416

Department
Pacific Art

This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation

Physical description
The painting depicts a butterfly, a totem of the Teeki group of clans. The butterfly is depicted twice, once in the top part of the painting and once, inverted and symmetrically and opposed to the first, in the lower part. The butterfly is represented only by its coloured wings; these are the two pairs of ‘hook’ forms. The black roundel outlined by concentric white, yellow and red lines in the centre of the bark depicts a butterfly egg.

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