Artist puts paintings on show

Art is the only true platform to capture and display the many cultures of Papua New Guinea, says an artist, Warren Peter.
The 32-year-old from a mixed heritage of Eastern Highlands and Milne Bay, left his third year studies in Arts and Design at University of PNG after the death of his mum in 2012 and since then, has used the knowledge learnt in his field of interest to help others in Port Moresby identify and expose their talents in art.
“I started off teaching boys on the city streets, whether it was in painting, dance or drama, as long as they needed a way to express themselves.
“When the interest grew over the years, more people started coming for lessons, even children as young as three-years-old.
“I realised its importance then and saw its potential for growth so I started collecting data,” he said.
His work through the years saw him having been one of five artists in the country to have contributed to the National Cultural Policy 2022-2032, a policy that aims to protect the unique and diverse cultures of PNG.
“The policy shows that the Government recognises the art industry, as through our efforts we preserve PNG’s rich histories and many cultures,” he said.
Peter currently has 50 fulltime artists associated to his Amako studio, with more than 2,000 combined paintings, who work not only for commercial purposes to make a living from and also to educate interested people with the history of the paintings.
He said paintings from their studio are now displayed at the RangeView Plaza on Fridays and Saturdays, unlike on random streets as he did in the past because art is too valuable to be displayed just anywhere.
“Learning through art allows us to be more appreciative of each one of our cultures, and so we will be happier and more willing to support ourselves more,” he said.