Pioneer Arts - Laben Sakale John
Post PNG as the governing administration of stamps in Papua New Guinea, through its Philatelic Department, has released a set of stamps featuring Pioneer Arts by Laben Sakale John, a re-own local artist specialising in contemporary PNG arts using palette knives, kitchen knife, butter knife, broken glasses and his fingers.

Artist Biography
Laben Sakale John, from Menyamya in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea, is a full-time self-employed artist, who is passionate to capture everyday challenges and life in the city through his artwork and paintings. He employs creative imagination using everyday objects with the magic of his hands, eyes and skills.

Laben Sakale John is one of Papua New Guinea’s international re-known Artists who has travelled and exhibited in many countries around the world including Germany, America, New Zealand and Australia.

He graduated from the Creative Arts Faculty, University of Papua New Guinea in 1997, with a Diploma in Fine Arts, and has been doing full-time painting since. He has participated in many major domestic art shows in the country and also abroad. Many of his works can be found in many private collections in Europe, Asia, America, Australia and New Zealand, and in the Denver Art Museum and Hood Museum in America. The Australian National Museum has some of his work in their collections and some in Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s private collection in Buckingham Palace, and the Art Department at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC.

Laben enjoys creating art, the driving factor in all his work and his love for what he loves doing every day. ‘If it was for monetary value alone, I would have given up painting ages ago and do something different now,’ he said.

Laben’s work (paintings) are done using palette knives, kitchen knife, butter knife, broken glasses and his fingers. The materials used are everyday things he is more used to in his life. Living in Port Moresby has given him the challenge to be different, even by living on the edge of a knife. What you see here are some of the work he has created trying to find a way out of the modern city with its own problems.

Technical Details
STAMP SIZE                           40mm x 30mm
SOUVENIR SHEET SIZE7         5mm x 105mm
SHEETLET SIZE                      75mm x 105mm
DENOMINATION                     K1.60, K3.00, K5.00 & K6.90
SHEET CONTENTS                  25
FORMAT                                Vertical
PERFORATION                       2mm COLOURSFull Colour Process
PAPER                                  Tullis Russel Non-Phosphor 104 gsm
GUM                                     Unwatered mark, PVA Gummed
PRINTING TECHNIQUE           Multicolour Offset, Lithography
DESIGNER                            Paintings: Laben Sakale John / Design: Yang Yansom
PRINTER                               Southern Colour Print, NZ
ISSUE DATE                          30th September 2019
WITHDRAWAL DATE              28th February 2020