Timothy Akis
Encyclopedia
Timothy Akis, born around 1944 in Tsembaga village, Simbai Valley, Madang Province
, Papua New Guinea
, died in 1984, was a Papua New Guinean artist
. His art consisted primarily in imaginative pen and ink drawing
s and batik
s inspired by his country's wildlife.
Akis had the distinction of being the first Papua New Guinean artist to hold an exhibition, at the University of Papua New Guinea
in 1969. He later held exhibitions in the United States
, the United Kingdom
, Switzerland
, the Philippines
and Australia
.
Ulli Beier
described Akis' artwork from his first exhibition in these terms:
Examples of Akis' artwork were reproduced in the inaugural issue of Beier' Kovave: A Journal of New Guinea literature, alongside the work of fellow artists such as Mathias Kauage
. Kauage's own art was reportedly inspired by visiting Akis' exhibition.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Akis divided his time between subsistence farming in his native village and working on his art in Port Moresby
.
During a posthumous exhibition, the Tamworth
Regional Gallery (Australia) identified Akis as one of Papua New Guinea's leading print and drawing artists, along with Mathias Kauage, John Man
and Martin Morububuna. Akis' art was also exhibited posthumously at the Musée des Confluences
in Lyon
in 2007. An exhibition in Cairns that same year celebrated Akis' "international reputation", along with that of other notable Papua New Guinean artists,, and his art was also displayed at the Alcheringa Gallery
in 2007. In 2008, his work featured alongside that of Kuagae and Morububuna an exhibition in Clarence Valley, then alongside that of Jakupa Ako and Mathias Kauage at the East-West Center
Gallery. The ninth issue of the Australian Art Review described Beier's "mentorship" relationship with Akis. Akis' art has been featured in the book La peinture des Papous, along with that of Mathias Kauage, Jakupa Ako and John Siune.
The Star Bulletin described Akis as having had "a major influence on the nation's art as [he] demonstrated how indigenous culture could be reflected in contemporary art forms."
Madang Province
Madang is a province on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, died in 1984, was a Papua New Guinean artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. His art consisted primarily in imaginative pen and ink drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
s and batik
Batik
Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...
s inspired by his country's wildlife.
Akis had the distinction of being the first Papua New Guinean artist to hold an exhibition, at the University of Papua New Guinea
University of Papua New Guinea
The University of Papua New Guinea was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired into higher education in Papua New Guinea...
in 1969. He later held exhibitions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Ulli Beier
Ulli Beier
Horst Ulrich Beier was a German editor, writer and scholar, who had a pioneering role in developing literature, drama and poetry in Nigeria, as well as literature, drama and poetry in Papua New Guinea...
described Akis' artwork from his first exhibition in these terms:
- "The delicate freshness of these drawings owes nothing to the traditions of his people, whose artwork consisted mainly of geometric shield designs. Unburdened by the rigid conventions of ancient traditions and uninhibited by western education, Akis created his personal image of a world of animals and men."
Examples of Akis' artwork were reproduced in the inaugural issue of Beier' Kovave: A Journal of New Guinea literature, alongside the work of fellow artists such as Mathias Kauage
Mathias Kauage
Mathias Kauage O.B.E., born in Miugu, Chimbu Province, Papua New Guinea in 1944, died in May 2003 , was a Papua New Guinean artist. In 1998, Kauage was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to the arts by Queen Elizabeth II. The National Gallery of Australia has described him as...
. Kauage's own art was reportedly inspired by visiting Akis' exhibition.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Akis divided his time between subsistence farming in his native village and working on his art in Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
.
During a posthumous exhibition, the Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
Regional Gallery (Australia) identified Akis as one of Papua New Guinea's leading print and drawing artists, along with Mathias Kauage, John Man
John Man
John Man was an English churchman, college head, and diplomat.-Life:He was born at Laycock or Winterbourne Stoke, in Wiltshire. He was educated at Winchester College from 1523, and New College, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 1533, and M.A. in 1537, and became a Fellow...
and Martin Morububuna. Akis' art was also exhibited posthumously at the Musée des Confluences
Musée des Confluences
The Musée des Confluences is a museum under construction in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, . It is located at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône and forms part of a large redevelopment project of the Confluence quarter...
in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in 2007. An exhibition in Cairns that same year celebrated Akis' "international reputation", along with that of other notable Papua New Guinean artists,, and his art was also displayed at the Alcheringa Gallery
Alcheringa Gallery
Alcheringa Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that represents indigenous artists from Canada's Northwest Coast, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands, and Torres Strait. It was one of the first galleries to make use of the internet in 1996.-See...
in 2007. In 2008, his work featured alongside that of Kuagae and Morububuna an exhibition in Clarence Valley, then alongside that of Jakupa Ako and Mathias Kauage at the East-West Center
East-West Center
The East–West Center , headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the United States....
Gallery. The ninth issue of the Australian Art Review described Beier's "mentorship" relationship with Akis. Akis' art has been featured in the book La peinture des Papous, along with that of Mathias Kauage, Jakupa Ako and John Siune.
The Star Bulletin described Akis as having had "a major influence on the nation's art as [he] demonstrated how indigenous culture could be reflected in contemporary art forms."
Examples of Akis' artwork
- Untitled, stencilStencilA stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
, 1974; National Gallery of AustraliaNational Gallery of AustraliaThe National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :... - Bilak bokis (Flying fox), stencil, 1977; National Gallery of AustraliaNational Gallery of AustraliaThe National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
- Untitled, 1985; Alcheringa GalleryAlcheringa GalleryAlcheringa Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that represents indigenous artists from Canada's Northwest Coast, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands, and Torres Strait. It was one of the first galleries to make use of the internet in 1996.-See...
