Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bowl

Tshuosh (Sawos) artist

Date

c. 1980–88

Medium

Ceramic, pigment

Culture

Tshuosh (Sawos)

Department

Global Contemporary Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bowls such as this are made on the plains north of the Sepik River by the Tshuosh (Sawos), and are hand built by the women using a coiling technique. After the pots have dried, the men decorate them, carving the bottom of the bowl into elaborate curvilinear patterns. Once fired, the bowls are painted with yellow, white, red, and black, enhancing the natural contrast between pigment and clay. Although heavily abstracted, the designs applied to these pots represent specific elements of the natural world. One recognizable shape is the spirit face image, a dynamic motif found eight times on this particular example. Despite their commonplace use, eating bowls such as this were always decorated, giving the vessels a spiritual charge. Papua New Guinea, Oceania

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