MARILYN TALEO HAVINI | 'Tupukas River, Arawa'  | Oil on canvas

"This painting of a Central Bougainvillean man collecting water from the Tupukas river, documents Bougainvilleans ongoing attempts to live within their devastated natural environment. Tupukas river flows down to the town of Arawa from the Crown Prince Range where the Australian mining company Rio Tinto began prospecting for copper from the early 1960’s. A large open-pit mine was brought into operation in Panguna in 1972 but closed in 1989 following a secessionist uprising on Bougainville.  Today the headwaters of the Tupukas are used by local landowners for prospecting the abandoned mine tailings and benches. Despite warnings, from the recording of high levels of mercury, this river remains a major water source."

MARILYN TALEO HAVINI | 'Tupukas River, Arawa'  | 2023 | Oil on canvas | H 46 x W 50 mm