Wylda Bayrón Puerto Rico, b. 1975
60 x 90 cm
"'Hoisted up in his royal seat of cane and grasses, guarded by fierce protectors with red bamboo fingers, this Asaro boy covered in clay and mud caught my eye. His gaze fixed on mine through the camera, a solemn demeanour that never wavered or revealed emotion.
Whether taking care of siblings, cutting sago or expertly sailing an outrigger canoe in high seas, children in Papua New Guinea have the rare ability to project tremendous strength, courage, physical and emotional agility beyond their years. They are tiny adults with the grace and primal knowledge of their fierce ancestors." - Wylda Bayrón
Exhibitions
Papua New Guinea is a little-known country in the north of Australia, belatedly explored by Westerners and still surrounded today by an aura of mystery. Its island territory, larger than France, is home to an unsuspected natural wealth and exceptional cultural diversity, shaped by 40,000 years of human presence. As a professional camerawoman and frequent traveller, Wylda Bayrón has travelled through this hard-to-reach region to meet changing tribal societies whose ancestral heritage is now threatened. Adopted by her hosts, she has been able to attend sing-sing (festive gatherings) and more secret rites, from which foreigners are normally excluded. She has thus produced a series of portraits of beautifully dressed men, women and children, proudly posing in their ceremonial attire. This original work, exhibited to the public for the first time in 2020 at the 193 Gallery, reflects the essential role of the bilas: expression of beauty and prestige, a link between Man and his environment.
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