Caught In The Net
Published by JGM Gallery, on the occasion of the exhibition
Caught In The Net 13th June - 27th July 2019
All works are copyright of the artists and are reproduced in this catalogue with their permission. They may not be further produced in any manner without the permission of the artists/authors. Exhibition curated by Jennifer Guerrini Maraldi and Lynnette Griffiths Publication designed by Alice Wilson Photography by Lynnette Griffiths and Erub Arts Cover Image: Kebi Keiar V by Jimmy J Thaiday Inner leaf image: Sardines by Lynnette Griffiths JGM Gallery 24 Howie Street London SW11 4AY www.jgmgallery.com info@jgmgallery.com ISBN 978-1-9160585-2-1 Š 2018 JGM Gallery and the artists All rights reserved A note on spelling The spelling of Torres Strait Islander words may differ between publications and sources The authors have therefore used the forms preferred by the artists of the works discussed here
ERUB ARTS TORRES STRAIT
Contents Contents 3 Introduction Jennifer Guerrini Maraldi 4 Opening note from George Brandis QC Autralian High Commissioner 5 Foreword from Dr Kevin Frewster Director Royal Museums Greenwich 6 Introduction and History of Erub Arts by Lynnette Griffiths 9 Caught In The Net by Dr Barbara Piscitelli 16 Artworks 22-53 Artists Biographies 56-61 Acknowledgements 65-66
Kaliko, 83 x 65 x 18cm, by Solomon Charlie, 2019
Introduction
by Jennifer Guerrini Maraldi Director JGM Gallery
Ghost Nets straying unharnessed across oceans, strangling and killing our most beautiful marine life, is
a modern day tragedy that touches deeply at the hearts of people from all nations, regardless of politics or religion. I am delighted to present this exhibition Caught in the Net at JGM Gallery and would like to thank the Erub artists and collaborators for their exceptional work, and particularly Diann Lui and Lynnette Griffiths for their dedication and hard work to make this London exhibition possible. We are proud to be supported by the Australian Government and Blue, (Blue Marine Foundation) for this exhibition, Caught in the Net. JGM gallery will make a donation to Blue from the proceeds of exhibition sales. I sincerely hope this stunning marine artwork, created so lovingly, will help raise further awareness far and wide about the disastrous problem of plastic in our oceans. Jennifer Guerrini Maraldi May 2019
Above: Longitudinal Fragments (Detail), 300 x 150cm variable by Lynnette Griffiths & Marion Gaemers, 2018
Opening Note HE the Hon George Brandis QC Australian High Commissioner to the UK
I am delighted the Erub Arts exhibition Caught In the Net will be staged at JGM Gallery in London from 13 June to 27 July 2019. Erub (Darnley Island) is one of 274 small islands which lies in the Torres Strait above Australia’s Cape York Peninsula. It is home to a group of Erubian artists who are at the forefront of a global movement of artists repurposing fishing nets found in the world’s waterways into striking Ghost Net installations. Caught In The Net celebrates the rich and vibrant culture of the Erubian people, and like all communities across the Torres Strait, they have an intrinsic connection to the land, water and the marine life surrounding their island. Through the Ghost Net installations, the artists are not only telling their traditional stories and applying their practice of transmitting knowledge from generation to generation, but they also raise awareness about the impact plastic waste is having globally. This is an issue the Australian Government is committed to combating. I would like to congratulate Erub Arts and JGM Gallery for bringing this exhibition to London. I hope that British audiences are captivated by this remarkable body of work and moved by its profound message about the responsibility we all have as custodians of our environment, culture and heritage. HE the Hon George Brandis QC May 2019
Foreword
by Dr Kevin Frewtser
Director Royal Museums Greenwich As an admirer of Australian Indigenous art I have followed the Torres Straits Ghost Nets programme with interest for a number of years. I am thrilled that an exhibition of this work is being shown here in the UK. The brilliant vibrant colours of the artworks contrast with the serious nature of their underlying message. The scale of the problem is vast - an estimated 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear are lost in the world’s oceans each year. Ghosts Nets are recognized as one of the most harmful types of sea plastics, trapping marine mammals, damaging coral reefs and removing fish from the food chain. These high-quality nets can take decades to break down and, even then, persist as microplastics. Over 70% of all the microplastics in our oceans is fishing related. We are a blue planet, with over 70% of the earth’s surface covered in water, yet we still know little about the oceans, and have even less of an understanding of our impact on the world’s oceans. We know less about the deepest ocean than is known about the surface of far-away Mars and yet plastic is being found in the Mariana trench, the deepest area of ocean. London is a great maritime city, with much of our wealth built on maritime industry. Even today over 85% of all goods imported to the UK arrive by ship. Projects such as Caught In The Net are vital in raising awareness of the impact we are having on the oceans. Dr Kevin Fewster May 2019
Image: Ghost net on Seu Cay
8
Erub Arts: An Introduction & History by Lynnette Griffiths
It all comes back to the sea. We are all connected by the world’s oceans. Making art is really making meaning; my art helps me understand and make sense of the world. Florence Gutchen Rising from the ultra-marine blue ocean in the Torres Strait, approximately 160 kilometres north of Cape York, on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef is the volcanic island of Erub or Darnley Island. Surrounded by fringing reef and ancient stonefish traps, this tropical island is home to approximately 400 Erubam Le (people from Erub) whose fierce seafaring heritage is visibly evidenced in the elaborately decorated canoes, carved stones, and weaponry. Stories of creation and events are passed down through song and dance, where intricately constructed and woven dance costumes completes the message. In the early 1990s, schoolteacher Diann Lui founded the craft group EKKILAU (Erub Koskir Kimiar Ira Lug Aker Uteb). Working from a converted school classroom on the island, workshops in weaving, pottery, screen-printing, and jewellery making were conducted for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents. Some of the earliest members of the group included Sedey Stephen, Norah Saylor, Alma Sailor, Noretta Ketchell, Ruth Pau, Argo Anson, Coleena Sailor, Meo Sailor, Lala Pilot, Rita Doolah, and Jenny Mye. As the TAFE (technical and further education) teacher on Thursday Island Lynnette Griffiths was instrumental in delivering workshops. Marion Gaemers conducted workshops through Flying Arts. Image Opposite: Map showing towns, Torres Strait Islands and reefs Image Above: Erub from the air showing the lines of ancient stone fishtraps
Jimmy K Thaiday with ghost net
Small ghost net turtles race ashore
About a decade later, work began on the art centre in 2002. Built within the school grounds to take advantage of shared school facilities, Erub Erwer Meta (Our Learning House at Wau) was conceived as a place for intergenerational learning and adult-child mentoring, with the aim to also preserve and revitalise traditional Erub culture through a variety of artistic forms. Founding members included Racy Oui-Pitt, Ellarose Savage, Sedey Stephen, Florence Gutchen, and Carmen Oui. A short time later, they were joined by Jimmy K. Thaiday, Franklin Mye, and Nancy Naawi. The new arts centre continued to run workshops, and from 2005, Lynnette Griffiths commenced a bi-weekly series of art programs. In the same year, a gallery was opened at the art centre. In 2008, Erub Erwer Meta, also known as Erub Arts, became the first Indigenous art centre incorporated in the Torres Strait. Diann Lui was appointed Manager and Lynnette Griffiths took on responsibility for Arts Development. Since 2010, Erub artists have been working with reclaimed fishing nets when GhostNets Australia came to the island to conduct a workshop and invited local artists to apply traditional weaving techniques to a new medium. Ocean, reefs, and creatures continue to inspire the artists, as they create messages of life, death, hunting, and preservation using marine debris. Colourful works are crafted using modern and traditional weaving techniques. Each project and work is discussed in relation to process and concept and presents new challenges as the manipulation of materials becomes more sophisticated. To raise the international profile of the destructive and harmful ghost net, Erub Arts and their collaborating artists have worked with commercial galleries, and international museums to create powerful installations that oscillate between art and the living environment. While the ghost net medium seeks to connect people across the continents and oceans via the arts, it is also about questioning the global use of plastic and climate change in this modern era. For the island people, the health of the ocean is crucial as they are intimately intertwined and bound up with each other.
Racy Oui-Pitt works on a ghost net shark fin SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES Early 1990s
Founding of the craft group EKKILAU (Erub Koskir Kimiar Ira Lug Aker Uteb) by Diann Lui
1992
A TAFE (Technical and Further Education) College is established on Thursday Island with Lynnette Griffiths as Head of Art
1995
The first sculptural collaboration, Maizab Kaur, is shown at the Pacific Island Cultural Festival, Thursday Island
2001
The work Maizab Kaur, The Story of Bramble Cay is shown at the National Gallery of Victoria
2007
The first collaborative entry—a suite of lino prints, Coming of the Light—is shown at the TELSTRA Indigenous Art Awards, Darwin
2008
Erub Erwer Meta (Erub Arts) becomes the Torres Strait’s first incorporated art centre
2009
Meg Agor Agor Ailan Pos, an exhibition featuring the work of eight Erub artists, is held at the Gab Titui Cultural Centre Erub Arts takes part in the inaugural Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF)
2010
Ellarose Savage is highly commended at the TELSTRA Indigenous Art Awards, Darwin for her ceramic work Zab and Koki The first Ghost Net Workshop is conducted by GhostNets Australia in partnership with the Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island
2011
A ghost net workshop, held as a cross-cultural exchange programme, takes place on Mornington Island Floating Lands environmental exhibition and workshops take place at Lake Cootharabah, Noosa River, Queensland and the Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre, Queensland
2012 Creative Collaborations: Ghost Net exhibition is held at the Cairns Regional Gallery Florence Gutchen’s ghost net work, Usari is shown at the Musée du Montparnasse, Paris in Beyond the Papunya Dot 2013
Jimmy K. Thaiday is highly commended at the TELSTRA Indigenous Art Awards, Darwin for his mixed media piece Kab Kar incorporating ghost net Dauma and Garom, the first large scale installation piece, is commissioned by the Australian Museum, Sydney Sea Journeys Project—Return to New Caledonia exhibition is held at Kick Arts, Cairns
2014 “Loyalty” Dinghy—The Next Journey is shown at Encounters at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra, and acquired by the museum Ghost Net Fish, a collaborative show, takes place at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney 2015
Sea Blanket, a ghost net collaboration, takes place to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns. Our Island Our Sea, a collaborative ghost net exhibition, is held at ReDot Fine Art Gallery, Singapore and the Australian High Commission.
2016
Solwata—a collaborative abstract piece—is produced for the Sydney Biennale, acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. TABA NABA: Sea Life exhibition opens at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. Geraldine Le Roux presents the exhibition Ghost Nets: Des Filets Fantomes un Art et des Hommes at Brest and Lorient, France; and Saint-Martin’s Caribbean Festival
2017
Boomerang, a GhostNet installation, goes on display at the Ethnographic Museum of Geneva. Au Karem ira Lamar Lu: Ghost Nets of the Ocean exhibition opens at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore. Tarnanthi: Presents Ghost Nets of the Ocean at the Art Gallery of South Australia Country of the Dreaming; Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Fondation Pierre Arnaud, Crans Montana, Switzerland
2018
Ghost Net Commission for the new Cairns Performing Art Centre World’s largest Ghost Net exhibition is on permanent display at the National Maritime Museum Sydney A Picture in Ghost Net: Martin Browne Contemporary Sydney
2019 Caught in the Net: JGM Gallery, London Image opposite: Drifting ghost net Image over the page: Approaching Erub by air
Caught In The Net by Dr Barbara Piscitelli
Image: Ghost nets cleaned and ready for use at Erub Art Centre Caught in the Net portrays hauntingly beautiful images of marine life in a state of decay. This immersive diorama-like exhibition tells a story known everywhere – a story about threats facing coastal environments all around the world. In the imagined world of Caught in the Net, a colourful green turtle and flocks of frigate birds survey a stark dying marine environment of bleached coral reefs with skeletal remains of eagle rays, butterfish, shark and turtle. Small spots of life appear as ever present hope in schools of shimmering sardines, colourful starfish and crayfish. The atmosphere is uncomfortable with the tension of life and death
Caught in the Net features work developed as a collaboration between Erub Arts, Lynnette Griffiths and Marion Gaemers – Australian artists at the forefront of the global ghost net movement. In creating this exhibition, the group departed from past practice of creating large colourful marine environments that portray dynamic biodiversity, as shown recently in Ghost Nets of the Ocean.1 Instead, with Caught in the Net, they confront the risks and threats the planet is facing due to climate change and ocean pollution. This is challenging work – conceptually, technically and artistically. Caught in the Net conveys a challenging message about a possible dystopian marine future from the vantage point of Erub, a small Torres Strait island in the western Pacific Ocean at the very tip of the Great Barrier Reef. In a place where the water is clear and the beauty of the environment is utterly breathtaking, it is hard to conceive that the glorious marine world is under threat. Yet, it is. Just recently, the Australian government recorded the extinction of the nearby Bramble Cay melomys due to human induced climate change.2 Coral bleaching has damaged some parts of the northern Great Barrier Reef and this area of Australia is a well-known hotspot for ocean pollution, especially abandoned fishing nets that drift on ocean currents killing everything in their path. The risks and threats are real, and very close to home. Over several months, the group created works for the exhibition. As artistic director of Erub Arts, Griffiths led the team to plan, create and critique Caught in the Net. Together, they shaped the content of this immersive exhibition, taking responsibility for both collaborative and individual works. Their job was to transform ghost nets from a deadly nuisance to a creative medium for telling a challenging story .3
1 Au Karem Ira Lamar Lu: Ghost Nets of the Ocean, https://www.sea.museum/whats-on/exhibitions/ghost-nets-of-the-ocean 2 Peter Hannum, 19 February 2019, “Our little brown rat: first climate change caused mammal extinction”, Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/our-littlebrown-rat-first-climate-change-caused-mammal-extinction-20190219-p50yry.html 3 Caught in the Net group from Erub Arts includes Manager Diann Lui, and artworkers Florence Gutchen, Racy Oui-Pitt, Ellarose Savage, Emma Rachel Gela, Ethel Charlie, Lavinia Ketchell, Nancy Naawi, Solomon Charlie, Alma Thaiday, Jimmy J Thaiday and Jimmy K Thaiday.
Caught in the Net entailed considerable work – starting with the collection of ghost nets. In the past, abandoned nets were gathered and burned but now Indigenous rangers and other agencies deliver them to the island where they are cleaned, sorted, stored and used as the medium for creative practice at Erub Arts. As co-artists, Griffiths, Gaemers and the Erub Arts team developed an immersive and complex body of work that propels the viewer to imagine the death of marine life. The exhibition draws attention to how much is at stake. Bleached Coral is a collaborative work with Gaemers and Erub Artists presenting death on the reef – revealing both the beauty and the horror of bleaching coral after multiple warming events. Inspired and led by Gaemers with Griffiths and Erub artists Emma Gela, Florence Gutchen, Lavinia Ketchell, Nancy Naawi and Ellarose Savage added coral elements into the woven panels. Erub artists collaborated with Griffiths and Gaemers on several largescale works, producing a segmented shark – Beziam, Nathakine Animol – a mysterious sea creature, Kebi Werem – Large Turtle, Eagle Rays and Butterfish. Each artist brought a distinctive style to their work and though they are massed, it is possible to distinguish the expert work of Racy Oui Pitt, Ellarose Savage, Emma Gela, Florence Gutchen, Ethel Charlie, Lavinia Ketchell and Nancy Naawi in these large installations. All hands were busily engaged working the ghost net, all the while discussing human induced threats facing their daily catch, totemic animals and mysterious creatures from the deep. This level of collaboration of non-Indigenous and Indigenous artists is unusual; though many art centres have non-Indigenous creative directors, consultants and advisors, they rarely produce and exhibit together. Supporting the massed collaborative works are large and small pieces by individuals, each adding another dimension to the complex story of marine life in transition. Sardines is a shimmering installation work about the vulnerability of small fish due to ocean warming and overfishing. Griffiths made one thousand small sardines over a five month period while travelling back and forth from her home base to Erub and beyond, all made to draw attention to the plight of the ubiquitous sardine around the world. Caught in the Net features sharks, Beziam. Erub artist Jimmy K Thaiday, responsible for two of these, suggests that as a top predator, the shark has a risky future as deadly drift nets catch many of these majestic creatures and disturb the marine ecosystem. Alongside Solomon Charlie’s Jumbo Cray and Florence Gutchen’s Fish, these ghost net sculptures feature treasured ocean creatures with uncertain futures. Gaemers’ exquisite coral communities, both vibrant and bleached, explore the adaptability and vulnerability of coral. Lost Antiquities features Gaemers’ signature techniques for weaving complex fractal patterns into reefs from ghost net fibres. Inspired by seeing museum exhibits of old ceramic vessels from shipwrecks which were encrusted with corals, she recreated vessels and corals from ghost net to focus on both the beauty and the threatened position for corals around the world from warming and ocean pollution.
Image: Erub Artists with their eagle rays at Kemus Beach
Jimmy J Thaiday’s works illustrate the uneasy tension between hope and despair so evident in this exhibition. He made the installation Waumer to honour his totemic bond with frigate birds, who he calls “pirates of the air” because of their habit of stealing fish from other birds. Flocks of these large birds are abundant and ever present around the islands. Likewise, his Small Cray represents the value placed on the crustacean as a prized part of the diet and a plentiful resource – a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak ecosystem. With his small installation, Kus ek weida – Coconut sprouts up to life, he turns to death and forces our gaze upon a white turtle carapace on a coral beach. At the same time, and recognising his sacred relationship to the land, the sea and the sky, he incorporates a humble sprouting coconut as a symbol of hope and life alongside the death – leaving us to wonder about our position, our role and our responsibility for intervening and reversing the death of the marine world. Caught in the Net is a disturbing exhibition on many levels, but it is also a marvel of ingenuity and a provocation for change. Though they know of the very real threats and environmental challenges facing the planet, the creators of Caught in the Net find hope, the spark of life and beauty in every work. Perhaps this is the message for our times – not to despair, but to remain hopeful, active, resourceful, outspoken and fearless about taking a stand to protect and preserve our earth while we can.
Dr Barbara Piscitelli AM Brisbane April 2019
Waumer (Frigate Birds) by Jimmy J Thaiday, 2019
Above: Betty 46 x 35 x 1cm by Lavinia Ketchell Below: Maryann 59 x 29 x 1cm by Florence Gutchen
Above: Abba 45 x 30 x 1cm by Emma Gela Below: Beryl 43 x 33 x 1cm by Emma Gela
Koki 98 x 35 x 30cm by Jimmy K Thaiday, 2019
Warkazz I (Turtle) 65 x 19cm by Jimmy J Thaiday, 2019
Warkazz III (Turtle) 65 x 70 x 25cm by Jimmy J Thaiday, 2019
Warkazz II (Turtle) 65 x 70 x 25cm by Jimmy J Thaiday, 2019
Kebi Keiar II (Small Crayfish) 40 x 15 x 10cm 22 by Jimmy J Thaiday, 2019
Lost Antiquities Encrusted II 37 x 32 x 34cm by Marion Gaemers, 2019
Lost Antiquities Encrusted III 24 x 33 x 35cm by Marion Gaemers, 2019
Koki Time Night Fishing 360 x 120 x5cm Collaboration, 2019
Lost Antiquities Encrusted IV 27 x 24 x 24cm by Marion Gaemers, 2019
Lifu 167 x 63 x 55cm by Jimmy K Thaiday, 2019
Eagle Ray 68 x 91 x 2cm 32 by Ethel Charlie, 2019
Top: Starfish 50 x 47 x 6cm by Nancy Naawi, 2019
Bottom: Starfish 58.5 x 54 x 4cm by Emma Gela, 2019
Tagun 83 x 65 x 18cm by Solomon Charlie, 2019
Sardines XIII, 200 x 100 x 4cm, by Lynnette Griffiths, 2019
Kara 110 x 45 x 13cm by Florence Gutchen, 2019
Bleached (Detail) 220 x 20 x 15cm Collaboration, 2019
Kus ek weida – Coconut sprouts up to life 75 x 75 x 48cm by Jimmy J Thaiday, 2019
Nathakine Animol 260 x 90 x 90cm Collaboration, 2019
Kebi Nam (small turtles) 183 x 137cm Acrylic on Belgian Linen Collaboration, 2019
Kebi Werem 120 x 110 x 38cm Collaboration, 2018
Rexie (Eagle Ray) 65 x 67 x 2cm Ghost Net fibres on Wire Frame by Ellarose Savage, 2019
Eagle Rays 183 x 137cm Acrylic on Belgian Linen Collaboration, 2019
A view of Erub from Seu Cay
Artists
Ethel Charlie (b. 1959)
Papua New Guinean Language: Sign Language Tribe: Marawadai Lives: Erub, Torres Strait
Collections: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016 Artist’s Statement: As I can’t hear or speak, I like to do things visually and I like to learn by watching others. My interest in art first began as a child. I like doing art because it keeps my mind occupied.
Solomon Charlie (b. 1979)
Papua New Guinean Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Marawadai Lives: Erub, Torres Strait Individual Commissions: Australian Fisheries Management Authority, 2017 Collections: National Gallery of Victoria, 2018; National Museum of Australia, 2018; Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018 Artist’s Statement: My mother and grandmother were both great weavers and I used to watch them make things for the house. Today, I think that making things out of ghost net is a brilliant way to use a waste material.
Rachel Emma Gela (b. 1954) Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Saisarem Lives: Erub, Torres Strait
Awards: Commended, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2013; Best Craft Work, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2012 Collections: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016 Artist’s Statement: As a young woman, I had family commitments that meant I was always working in the home. Now I can come together with women of my own age group and share stories, experiences and we can learn and share together.
Florence Gutchen (b. 1961)
Torres Strait Islander Language: Kulka Gau-Ya and Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Samu clan, Poruma Lives: Erub, Torres Strait Awards: Finalist, Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, 2015; Best Work on Paper, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2013 Collections: National Museum Australia, Canberra 2019; National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016 Artist’s Statement: When I was young, my favourite hobbies were crocheting, bead making, and sewing. As the years went by, I’ve learnt other art skills. As a member of Erub Arts, I enjoy my artwork and look forward to learning more new things and sharing with others.
Lavinia Ketchell (b. 1993)
Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Meuram Lives: Erub, Torres Strait Awards: Commended for 3D work, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2016; Best Craft Work, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2015 Collections: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016 Artist’s Statement: I enjoy making all kinds of different things from the ghost net. The colours, visible once you unravel the net, make my works bright and happy. I love how I can turn something so harmful to our reefs into a beautiful artwork.
Nancy Naawi (b. 1958)
Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Peiudu Lives: Erub, Torres Strait Awards: Runner-up, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2012 Collections: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016 Artist’s Statement: I have always been interested in making things. I have always crocheted and enjoyed sewing and handcrafts. As a member of Erub Arts, I have gained confidence as an artist, and I want to do things that represent me, my family, and my surroundings from before-time to modern times.
Robert Oui (b. 1982)
Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Saisarem Live: Erub, Torres Strait Collections: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018 Artist Statement: From a young age I’ve always liked drawing and sketching, making designs and patterns. I am inspired by graffiti art as I research online.I returned to Erub with my family and joined the Art Centre after CIAF last year when I visited the art fair for the first time. Since joining I have worked on large scale charcoal drawings and painting – I am currently finding ghost net art very challenging.
Racy Oui-Pitt (b. 1953) Torres Strait Islander Language: Erub Mer Tribe: Meuram Lives: Erub, Torres Strait
Awards: Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, Highly Commended 2017; fianlist Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, 2013; Commended, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2011 Collections: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016; Artist’s Statement: I started making art seriously in 2002, and as a founding member of Erub Arts, I want to continue to make art that relates to my heritage and promotes our unique island way.
Ellarose Savage (b. 1969)
Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Meuram Lives: Erub, Torres Strait Awards: Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, Commended 2018; Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, Highly Commended 2017; Collections Australia Stamp Design; finalist Telstra Art Awards 2014 and 2011; Selected Shepparton Indigenous Ceramic Award, 2014: Gab Titui Indigenous, Runner Up 2011 Collections: Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland, 2016; Queensland Governor, 2015; National Museum of Australia, Canberra, 2014 and 2013; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2014; and Australian Museum, Sydney, 2013 Artist’s Statement: I am interested in expressing my relationship with the sea, and am currently exploring the links between people’s surroundings, objects, and Erub culture. Sea creatures are an important part of my heritage.
Jimmy John Thaiday (b. 1978) Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Kuz and Peiudu Lives: Erub, Torres Strait
Awards: Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards, Best 3D Work 2018; Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards, Commended 2017 & 2015 Collection: National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018, National Museum Australia, Canberra 2018 and 2019 Artist’s Statement: I have always loved to draw; it’s something that comes naturally. I also enjoy fishing and walking on the reef. My artwork gives me the opportunity to express the things that are important to me, my identity, and my culture.
Jimmy Kenny Thaiday (b. 1987) Torres Strait Islander Language: Torres Strait Creole Tribe: Peiudu Lives: Erub, Torres Strait
Awards: Best 3D Work, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2015; Shortlisted, Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, 2014; Shortlisted, Shepparton Indigenous Ceramic Award, 2014; Best Traditional Artefact, Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award, 2014; Best ICTV Station ID Award, 15th National Remote Indigenous Media Festival, 2013; Highly Commended, Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, 2013 Artist’s Statement: Art has always been part of my life; my inspiration for my artwork is from my heritage and the environment in which I live. The cultural traditions that have been passed on through generations and taught to me by my elders have also influenced my work.
Marion Gaemers (b. 1958) Australian Language: English Lives: Townsville
Collections: National Museum of Australia, Canberra 2019; National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia 2016; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland,2016; Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Australia, 2015; Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Australia, 1992 Artist’s Statement: I use waste material to make my art and enjoy working collaboratively, involving the community. I am a weaver and basket-maker. I have worked with Erub Arts and GhostNets Australia since 2010.
Lynnette Griffiths (b. 1963) Australian / English Language: English Lives: Cairns
Collections: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia, 2016; National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, 2001; Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Switzerland,2016; National Museum of Australia, Canberra 2019; National Maritime Museum, Sydney 2018 Artist’s Statement: My artistic practice has developed from graphic-image making towards the manipulation of materials, construction, and installation. My work uses imagery, along with materials from the marine environment, as a metaphor for human exploitation and environmental degradation. I have worked as artistic director and collaborating artist with Erub Artists for over 20 years.
Sun set from Erub
Acknowledgements from Erub Arts
Erub Arts wishes to acknowledge and thank the artists and the many people and organisations who, with their dedicated commitment, generously assisted in realising this exhibition.
Special Thanks Erub Arts’ Exhibition Team
Erub Arts artists and their administrative team led by manager Diann Lui, collaborating artists Lynnette Griffiths and Marion Gaemers and Jennifer Guerrini-Maraldi and the team at JGM Gallery Particular thanks are given to Lynnette Griffiths, Erub Arts artistic director for her unwavering commitment and dedication to the project from the initial concept development with artists through to the completion of works.
Funding
We acknowledge the financial support from the following:
The Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, Visual Arts
The Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts Initiative
The Torres Strait Regional Authority, Cultural, Art and Heritage Program
We would also like to express our gratitude for ongoing support from the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program, Arts Queensland, Backing Indigenous Arts program and the Torres Strait Regional Authority, Culture, Art and Heritage program for the day to day operational support to Erub Arts.
Freight and Travel
We would like to express our gratitude to Victor Perazzo from Queensland Sea Swift Pty Ltd for his support in securing freight sponsorship from Erub to Cairns, Rebecca Hyde from Skytrans for organising sponsored travel from Erub to Cairns and Andrea McNamara from Business and Leisure Travel Cairns for relevant travel advice, Cairns to London. Special thanks to our worldwide supporters, museums, galleries, private collectors and institutions who have demonstrated the foresight to engage in this important conservation message through this new artform.
Image opposite: Jimmy J Thaiday and Solomon Charlie at work
With Thanks to The Australian High Commission, Trade & Investment Queensland Australia, Blue Marine Foundation, and Fine Wine Partners for their support.