Yolina bids farewell
1979
from the Sail the Midnight Sun series 1979
Medium
earth pigments on wood
Measurements
49.1 × 160.7 × 4.6 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 2003
© the artist
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
This panel is the fourth in a series of fourteen relief sculptures made in 1979 for the kesawaga (dance drama) Sail the Midnight Sun, at the Raun Raun Theatre, a prominent Papua New Guinean cultural venue. The play was based on a 1973 poem written by activist and artist John Kasaipwalova, while the sculptures are based on a traditional Trobriand Islands story about a culture hero called Yolina, the Midnight Sun, and his adventures. As a series, Sail the Midnight Sun can also be read as a metaphor for Papua New Guinea’s journey to modern nationhood.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
Accession Number
2003.176.4
Department
Pacific Art
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation