‘Fine arts face rough times’ times

By ZACHERY PER
FOURTY-eight-year-old fine art specialist Thomas Pasemo was the first to paint a portrait of Prime Minister James Marape soon after his 100 days in office and on the eve of the country’s 44th Independence anniversary.
The portrait was presented to Marape the next day after PNG turned 44 on Sept 17, 2019 at the podium of University of Goroka’s Mark Solon Auditorium by Goroka MP Henry Ame.
It was a timely gift to boost the young PM to pursue the Marape Manifesto to ‘Take back PNG to make it the richest black Christian nation on earth’.
Pasemo also painted portraits of Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae – which was presented to him when he was in Goroka to open the 63rd Goroka Show in September – as well as Goroka MP Henry Ame and Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu.
These were some of the latest portraits he produced in September as PNG turned another year older.
Pasemo from Hogeturu Village in Fayantina Local Level Government in Henganofi District Eastern Highlands was born to Pasemo Kiwas and Mase Pasemo on May 15, 1972.
He attended Kama Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Primary School in Goroka before going to Kabiufa High School to do grades seven to 10 from 1982 to 1986.
“I scored good grades on my grade 10 certificate, I was selected to do Preliminary Year at UPNG in 1987, the following year I enrolled at the School of Creative Arts and went from 1988 to 1990,” Pasemo said.
On Nov 30, 1990 Pasemo graduated with a degree in Fine Art from UPNG’s School of Creative Arts.
His his first engagement was by PNG Sports Foundation to do paintings and murals in the arrival and departure lounges at Jacksons Airport for the 1991 South Pacific Games held in Port Moresby and Lae.
He was also employed by the Catholic Church to do paintings of St Peter ToRot in churches in East New Britain, especially at the Rakunai Catholic Church. One of those portraits was presented to Pope John Paul II and is in the Vatican today.
After being engaged on both permanent and casual basis by companies designing logos, pamphlets, promotional materials and many other visual products using his art skills, he did the murals at Goroka’s JK McCarthy Museum.
“From 2000 to 2001, former Clerk of Parliament Ano Pala engaged me to do portraits of former Speakers of Parliament and former Prime Ministers which are now in Parliament. I am yet to do Peter O’Neill and current PM James Marape for the Parliament House collection,” Pasemo said.
He also painted portraits of vice chancellors of the University of Goroka now on display at the vice chancellor’s office. He is a very experienced and talented artist whose work graces the halls and boardrooms of prestigious organisations.
Pasemo is now without a permanent job and operates his own PNG Signs at his Kopi Rutz residence in Goroka town. Anyone who needs his services can contact him on 72767913 or [email protected]
Pasemo and wife Sedi have seven children and two grandchildren.
Pasemo says he is saddened by the lack of marketing and promotion for art in PNG which has forced many artists who graduated from the Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of PNG over the years to be obsolescent.
“The Government has failed to create employment and other opportunities for art students who come of UPNG every year. It is a sad scenario when artists in drawing, painting, sculptures, fine art and graphic art and even musical art have no space in the job market in PNG today,” he said.
He said when buildings are designed by architects they only do the exterior while artists trained to do interior designs and textiles are always forgotten.
“In developed countries artists and textile designers work with architects at the initial stage and are part of the construction supervision phase, at the completion they are engaged to do decoration and beautification of the interior of buildings including high-rise sky scrapers.
“In PNG artists and textile designers are not fully utilised,” Pasemo said.
“Many of us are pushed off the formal job market. I am doing freelance in Goroka while many gave up. I call on the Government to take art on board in the vision to Take Back PNG making it a richest black Christian nation on earth.”