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For most of his working life Ambane Siune was a boilermaker, but worsening eye health from his job working in steel production led him to embrace painting.
Key points:
- An exhibition of contemporary art from PNG is currently touring northern Australia
- It's the first time PNG's government has sponsored an overseas exhibition of its artists
- It comes as PNG's government looks to open up its trade
It was a skill he developed while growing up in the Simbu province of Papua New Guinea's Highlands region.
"My dad is an artist and I used to help him paint. That's how I learned," Siune said.
He is one of a group of artists currently exhibiting works throughout northern Australia in Cairns, Brisbane, and Darwin.
The PNG Contemporary Art Exhibition marks the first international contemporary arts exhibition sponsored by Papua New Guinea's government, following the release of the country's first national cultural policy last year.
The director of PNG's National Cultural Commission, Steven Enomb Kilanda, said the exhibition currently touring northern Australia would be the "first of many international fixtures" in Australia, Europe, and other parts of the world.
Australia is Papua New Guinea's largest trading partner, followed by China, and both countries are conducting feasibility studies into free trade agreements.
Maholopa Laveil, a Pacific fellow at the Lowy Institute, says that overseas soft power initiatives by PNG's government and Prime Minister James Marape, like the exhibition, are part of a broader turn away from trade protectionism.
"The PNG government getting behind a more formal event like this signals that the government is taking this more seriously", he said.
"We know tourism is on Marape's mind — not so much to the west, but to China.
"Mr Marape has said in the past that he's targeting bringing more tourists from China.
"A lot of this will likely move from traditional partners like Australia, more to South-East Asia and emerging markets like China."
PNG Arts Minister Isi Henry Leonard said that Australia and Papua New Guinea had a legacy of connectivity to build on.
"A lot more will come," he said.
"We would like to continue to showcase and to give more prominence to artists, and in towns like this for artists to learn from the professionals within those spaces in Australia."
Trading on culture
After attending art school at the University of Papua New Guinea, Laben Sakale John said that a lack of a domestic art market pushed him to travel around Europe where he was introduced to new styles and ideas, including abstraction.
He said it was only once he started painting using international styles that his artistic career took off at home.
"I came back with nothing, but I came back with a style," he said.
"Since that day I've been doing well. When I traded on this new style I was like the new kid on the block. Everyone wanted me, even the diplomatic missions."
He said that promoting tourism through arts and culture in Papua New Guinea should be a priority for the Marape government.
"The government funds sports, rugby. We've never won a World Cup but so much money to sports," John said.
"I believe in art. Artists have potential to bring money home."
The PNG Contemporary Art Exhibition closes on June 16 in Cairns and opens in Darwin on August 28.
It is partly funded through Australian government arts program the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund and Papua New Guinea's cultural agency the National Cultural Commission.