Double Figure
Date2001
Maker
Carmelina Puantuluna
Tiwi Islands, Australian Aboriginal, born 1957
Label TextTwisting and turning, this figure depicts people in disguise. Wearing false beards and painting their bodies, a person could make themselves unrecognizable to the spirits of the deceased who might want to cause them harm. Tiwi Islanders carefully observe a number of restrictions to ensure that the spirit safely departs to join other deceased relatives.
Object number2005.157
Provenance[Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, Australia]; Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan, Seattle, Washington, 2001
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Sorry Business, July 30, 2001 - January 2, 2006Credit LineGift of Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions55 1/8 in. (140 cm)
MediumNatural pigments with bark on ironwood
log in
