F.M.I. Sisters of Vunapope
Australian War Memorial Commission
At the risk of their own lives, the F.M.I. Sisters dedicated themselves to providing locally grown produce to Australian, European and Unserdeutsch children who were held captive at Ramale prisoner of war camp for almost three years. As an Australian War Memorial commissioned artist, Lisa chose to highlight war histories relating to women, in particular Papua New Guinean women. Photographed inside the liberated camp in 1945, twelve F.M.I. Sisters are veiled and adorned with flowers that reference some of the seventeen nationalities among the 300 civilians whom they helped keep alive at Ramale during the Second World War. Forty-five hand embroidered black cinctures honour their efforts and make visible the names of the F.M.I. Sisters. This artwork is now part of the Australian War Memorial national collection.
Header image, F.M.I. Sisters of Vunapope 2020. 1110 mm x 930 mm pigment print on cotton rag.
Lisa Hilli 