Kurkurua | Adornment

Damien Kereku, Vunalagir Vunatarari, Tolai People 2015.

The midi (middi) is part of a group of body adornments specific to Gunantuna culture called Kurkurua, some of which were impacted and culturally transformed through colonialism, religion and trade in the late 19th century. Discovering midi’s in Australian and international museums became the focus of my MFA by Research at RMIT University. Read more here…

Midi (Middi), cane, jute fibre, nassa shells, 42cms, 2015. Photo Keelan O’Hehir

Raim Paraide, Makuratagete Vunatarai, Tolai people 2015

Vunatarai (matrilineal) Armour, paper tags, photographs,cotton, steel clasps 2015. Photo Keelan O’Hehir

Selected Works Exhibited

No 1 Neighbour: Art in Papua new Guinea 1966 – 2016 Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art 2016-17

Masters of Fine Art by examination exhibition 2016

Vai Niu Wai Niu, Coconut Water, Caboolture Regional Art Gallery 2015

Publications

Embodied History, Quarterly Essay Garland Magazine 2017