With her eyes and hands fully locked onto her "natural canvas," the 36-year-old Papuan woman, Nancy Imelda Nahuway, worked diligently in her home-turned-mini studio where she creates her masterpieces.
Nancy, an indigenous Papuan woman born in Wamena, Jayawijaya District, Highland Papua Province, views coffee as an invaluable, priceless “green gold.”
Locals share Nancy's sentiment and take pride in Wamena and Bintang Mountains coffee, which is internationally renowned for its distinct flavors.
For Nancy, coffee is more than just a natural blessing with enticing aromas and flavors. In her skilled hands, this humble bean takes on a powerful and magical quality, turning plain surfaces into stunning works of art.
“Since coffee produces only one color—brown—artists must improvise and creatively blend it with other materials,” she noted in an interview with ANTARA.
Creating art with coffee is far from simple, as the process involves drying, roasting, and grinding the coffee first.
On top of that, coffee painting requires the artist to meticulously glue the powder onto sheets of tree bark, ensuring it aligns perfectly with the envisioned design.
The technique
ANTARA had the privilege of witnessing Nancy create a painting titled "Mama and Noken", which depicts a local woman dressed in traditional attire, complete with a Papuan handcrafted bag known as the noken, often carried overhead, while she holds beans of the 'green gold' in her palms.
The talented artist employed a mixed media technique to bring her vision to life. This technique is often used for creating paintings, collages, illustrations, and portraits.
Nancy's painting incorporated acrylic paints, along with glue and tree bark, as mentioned earlier.
The sheets of tree bark she uses are not always sourced from her home province but often come from Jayapura in Papua Province. Known as khombouw by the people of Jayapura’s Sentani region, this type of tree bark is part of a traditional craft passed down through generations.
Painting with coffee on conventional surfaces is common in Indonesia and around the world. However, using tree bark as a canvas to create intricate images is undoubtedly unique.
In addition to the "Mama and Noken" painting, Nancy has completed at least 10 other works, all neatly displayed in her home studio in a Wamena alley.
She credits her artistic talent to her father, whom she describes as a painter of Moluccan descent.
Creating a coffee painting on khombouw takes a month of dedication, Nancy remarked, adding that she often adjusts the brown hue of the coffee powder to achieve the desired effect.
Her artworks have received praise not only from visitors to her studio but also from the Acting Governor of Highland Papua, Velix Wanggai.
Appreciation
Without a doubt, Nancy's ability to bring her artistic ideas to life—combining coffee powder and tree bark while blending modern art with traditional materials—is truly awe-inspiring.
Acting Governor Wanggai was deeply impressed by the intricate process Nancy used to create such stunning artwork. So profound was his amazement that he could only express it with a simple remark: "The artwork is incredible."
Nancy undoubtedly deserves strong support from local authorities to further develop her artistry.
Wanggai fully agreed, emphasizing that Nancy’s rare talent warrants special governmental support.
As a newly established administration, the Highland Papua provincial government has yet to fully recognize Nancy's work. Nonetheless, it remains committed to supporting Nancy and other local artists in their creative pursuits.
Creativity and economy
It is evident that the governments of Highland Papua Province and Jayawijaya District should make every effort to support Nancy in sustaining her creativity, as a thriving business based on creative works like hers could significantly contribute to the growth of the region’s creative economy and that of Papua as a whole.
Extensive promotion of Nancy’s and other Papuan artists' creative works could attract both domestic and international tourists to the region, ultimately boosting the local economy.
Herwin Meiliantina Wanggai, chairwoman of the Family Welfare Empowerment Mobilization Team (TP PKK) in Highland Papua, stressed the importance of creating opportunities for more talented individuals like Nancy to emerge in the province.
She noted that Nancy's skills could play a crucial role in helping the young province preserve and promote local culture while also enhancing residents' welfare through the growth of the creative economy.
Nancy has become a true role model for aspiring female artists in Highland Papua—one of Indonesia's newest provinces, rich in natural and cultural potential, yet hidden within its remote, forest-covered landscapes.
She is currently preparing to showcase her paintings at this year’s Baliem Valley Cultural Festival, scheduled for August 7-10, hoping to sell them to both domestic and international visitors.
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Translator: Yudhi E, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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