Dennis Nona
Dennis Nona
Awai Thithuiyil [Badu Island Story], 2004
Dennis Nona, Kala Lagaw Ya people (born 1973)
Printer: Theo Tremblay (born 1952)
hand-coloured linocut, 18/45
printed image, irregular 125.8 x 106 cm (frame: 152.5 x 125 cm)
signed, titled, numbered and dated below image
Other notes: Another edition of this print is in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Accession Number 2005.441
Literature: Artonview, issue no.49 Autumn 2007, National Gallery of Australia, p. 19 illus.
Exhibited: The Story of Australian Printmaking 1801–2005, National Gallery of Australia, 30th Mar – 3rd Jun 2007 (another example).
$3,750 framed in Tasmanian Oak
enquire:
simon@ensemblefineart.com.au
0419 540 162
Dennis Nona’s large 2004 linocut print, Awai Thithuiyil, is named after the western Torres Strait Island name for the Pelican constellation. This intricate work shows the position of the stars during the turtle-mating season. Above the hand-coloured turtles stands the spirit figure, Zugubau Mabaig, who is the custodian of the stars. He is teaching the story to the next generation, represented by the five human figures below him. This rich narrative is part of Nona’s cultural heritage, with the intricate details cut from a large roll of linoleum using the traditional wood-carving skills taught to Nona as a young boy.
Dennis Nona was born on Badu Island, in the Torres Strait, Queensland. He was taught as a young boy the traditional craft of woodcarving. Later he attained a Diploma of Art from Cairns TAFE, a Diploma of Visual Arts in Printmaking from the Institution of Arts, Australian National University, Canberra and a Master of Arts in Visual Arts, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane.
His work can be seen in the collections of most of the major Australian art institutions and in several important overseas collections. These include the National Gallery of Australia; Queensland Art Gallery; National Gallery of Victoria; Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery of SA; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; British Museum, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Cambridge University Museum UK and the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.