Tapa Cloth, Oceanic Art, Tribal Art, Primitive Art, Oceania, Papua New Guinea, 69 X 53 Cm

Fragment of a tapa dance skirt collected in the Popondetta area in Papua New Guinea. Tapa was the first fabric available in this part of the world. Its uses were varied: clothing, shroud, blanket, mosquito net, bag, and, for high-quality pieces, a form of prestige currency. The tapa from the Popondetta region is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree and serves as dance skirts. The bark is extracted, moistened, beaten, and dried. Beating it compresses the fibers and binds them together. Depending on the type of beating, the thickness, texture, and suppleness of the fabric vary. The designs depicted evoke, in an abstract and symbolic way, a number of important events or occurrences. Beaten bark and natural pigments. Beautifully framed between two panes of glass. Approx. 69 x 53 cm / €200 including shipping.