Peibri Sor
2017
Medium
synthetic polymer paint, wire
Measurements
75.0 × 75.5 × 7.5 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Barbara Hay, 2019
© Helen Mabo/ Courtesy Gab Titui Cultural Centre
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Helen Mabo is a Meriam artist of the Peibri clan, born in Daru, Papua New Guinea. This sculpture represents Peibri Sor, the stingray, her clan’s totem and one of many totemic beings that shape life on Mer (Murray Island). The eight Meriam clans are each symbolised by a creature, which are united through Arti, an ancestral octopus whose eight legs represent collective strength and connection. Traditionally a weaver working with natural materials like pandanus and coconut vine, Mabo brings this knowledge into sculptural form with this work. Peibri Sor offers a vital water story from a Traditional Custodian of Mer, asserting Indigenous presence and ancestral belonging in a landscape so often depicted without it.