Rainbow Pearl
Lapis Lazuli beads are the traditional treasure and most well known handicraft of the Pai- wan tribe in Taiwan. This is not only because of the rich striking colours, but also due to the traditional values attached to the art as important family heirlooms. All beads are hand made, and each has its own name and represents a specific mythology. A tear shaped design on the bead can represent the Tears of the Sun, while a multi-coloured cylindrical bead represents the rainbow.
In this painting, the beauty of the Lapis Lazuli highlighted unusually against the back of this modern Paiwan woman brings tradition and modernity together, showing that mythological art can cross into the modern world of fashion and can give meaning for all generations.
Image: 17.2 x 21.7 cm
In My Soul
Facial tattoos and weaving skills are distinctive aspects of the Taya people. In early ages, only the women who could weave and who were chaste were allowed to have a facial tattoo, and this signified that they were ready to marry. Traditionally it is believed that when Taya people die, the tattoo is necessary to allow them to pass over to the afterlife and meet with their ancestors. Traditionally in all of Taiwan’s aboriginal tribes, the feather was regarded as a representation of the soul. Another distinctive aspect of the art of the Taya women involved large piercings of the ears to display traditional earrings, although this practice was purely decorative and did not relate to their religious beliefs. To see these piercings and tattoos on a beautiful modern woman, allows us to see how the traditional ways of the village can be transformed in order to seem to be part of the world of high fashion. The presence of the feather reminds us of the soul still being anchored in the traditional ways.
Image：24.3 x 18.3 cm
Traditionally, the early Ami tribe worshiped the sun as their main god. It was believed that the sun controlled the whole world, and that man was born out of the sun. As a result, in Ami art there is strong use of red colours to represent the sun, and a frequent use of tattoos resembling the sun. Traditionally in all of Taiwan’s aboriginal tribes, the feather was regarded as a representation of the soul. This painting uses the traditional strong red colours to reflect this worship of the sun, and shows the power of the muscled naked torso throwing open his arms as life is given to his body and soul.
Image：24.3 x 18.2 cm
Yosifu
Yosifu was born in the village of Matailing, Taiwan and belongs to the Amis tribe of indigenous people found in the east of the island. He now lives and works main in Edinburgh in Scotland, and has exhibited successfully in both Europe and Asia. He is one of only a very few artists promoting Taiwan indigenous culture in Europe. Yosifu's varied creative talents encompass music, photography and painting. His bright vibrant style has its roots in indigenous and naive forms of artwork and is a fusion of Western and Asian styles and techniques. His work has become popular internationally, and is currently held by private collectors from Scotland, England, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Sweden.
Details
Art Print Dimension：30 x 21 cm
Material: Paper
<The color of the image is for reference only>
