bold that encountering it becomes a confrontation that can hardly leave any human being unaffected, regardless of cultural background. The visual art of the Papuans, their way of creating proportions, their ability to combine abstract patterns with stylized depictions, their choice of colours and materials - it all differs as much from the Western academic tradition, as the African primitive sculpture did. Art here is a ritual spell, with which one tries to master and control the whimsical forces of nature.