Photo: D. Lepsoe

Michael Mel was born in 1959 in Wila Village, near Mount Hagen in PNG’s Western Highlands Province. He is a performance artist, teacher, and writer, and is currently an Associate Professor and Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Goroka. He is also co-curator of this exhibition.

Renowned for his expertise in the traditional arts and oral traditions of his people, he uses performance to explore issues of cultural identity and dispossession. He has brought global attention to these issues, and to the complexities of Papua New Guinean culture, through his eloquent performances in many parts of the globe. Through works that engage many senses and use music, dance, body painting and decoration, he encourages Papuan New Guineans to take pride in their indigenous cultures and to challenge assumptions of colonialism. He has incorporated elements of local culture into the Highlands school curriculum, promoting the concept of education through art. For his contributions to the cultural development of Papua New Guinea, and for acting as a cultural bridge between PNG and the rest of the world, Michael Mel received the Prince Claus Award in 2006. He was the first Pacific Islander and the first artist to be recognized in this way.