Alian Currents - Contemporary Printmaking from the Torres Strait, 2007 by NorthSite Contemporary Arts

Joey Laifoo Billy Missi Dennis Nona Brian Robinson Joel Sam Leroy Alua Savage Alick Tipoti 1

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Contents

Acknowledgments

John Toshie Kris – Foreword

Rae O’Connell – KickArts and the Zenadh-Kes Printmaking Movement 6 Map of the Torres Strait

Brian Robinson – From Mask to Paper

Joey Laifoo Pearling lifestyle 12

Billy Missi Sapur au kubi (dark flock of bats) 16 Kulba yadail (old lyrics) 18 Links 20 Mawan sagulal (mawa ceremony) 24

Brian Robinson Tagai (guardian of the heavens) 28 Midas touch 32 ... And they flew from the airfield at Ngurupai 34

Leroy Alua Savage Not titled 36

Dennis Nona Baidam (shark constellation) 40

Joel Sam Thulup (stingray) 46 Bidthai (squid) 48

Dennis Nona Dhogai Zug 52 Sesserae (willy wagtail bird) 56

Alick Tipoti Wadith, zigin ar kusikus 60 Koedal kazil garr yatharmik 64 Zugubal (spiritual beings with special powers) 68

Theo Tremblay – Tracking Linocerous

Alick Tipoti Warul ar bidhiyal (turtles & squids) 80 Gabau aimai mabaigal (wind makers season) 84

Curricula Vitae

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Acknowledgments This catalogue and exhibition commemorates the establishment of the KickArts printmaking studio and is an introduction to a small selection of the significant fine art printmaking that emanates from the rich and vibrant communities of Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait. This publication has been supported by the Queensland Government, Australia, through the Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency (QIAMEA), Department of the Premier and Cabinet. QIAMEA promotes Queensland’s Indigenous arts industry through marketing and export activity throughout Australia and internationally. KickArts Contemporary Arts is a not for profit company limited by guarantee and is supported financially by Arts Queensland and the Australia Council for the Arts. KickArts is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments. Sponsors & Partners: Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency Arts Queensland Australia Council for the Arts Qantaslink Torres Strait Regional Authority JNP Pawsey and Prowse Pty Ltd Cavanagh Knight International Publisher: KickArts Contemporary Arts Ltd 96 Abbott Street Cairns PO Box 6090 Cairns Queensland 4870 Australia www.kickarts.org.au Exhibition Curator: Rae O’Connell Artists: Joey Laifoo, Billy Missi, Dennis Nona, Joel Sam, Brian Robinson, Leroy Savage, Alick Tipoti Writers: Brian Robinson and Theo Tremblay Catalogue Editor, Design & Production: Russell Milledge Photography: David Campbell unless indicated otherwise Printed by: Penfold Buscombe Print Communications

KickArts Contemporary Arts Board of Directors: Mike Fordham, Chair Jenni Le Comte, Secretary Robyn Baker Jeneve Frizzo Robin Maxwell Billy Missi Roland Nancarrow Andrew Prowse Gayleen Toll Robert Willmett KickArts Contemporary Arts Staff Rae O’Connell, Director Russell Milledge, Deputy Director Joanne Ellis, Financial Administrator Janette Laver, Program Officer Beverley Mitchell, KickArts Shop Manager Andrea Huelin, Marketing Officer ISBN 9780980340204 Dimensions of works of art are given in millimetres, height before width before depth. © KickArts Contemporary Arts Ltd, the artists and authors 2007. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. No illustration in this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the copyright owners. Neither may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the publisher. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Foreword The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) welcomes the exhibition Ailan Currents, an exciting display of contemporary arts of the Torres Strait region. We are very proud to be supporting partners in this event. The TSRA recognises that art is an important part of our unique Ailan Kustom (our culture, from which we draw wisdom and strength). It is through our visual art, dance and song that our ancestral stories and legends are maintained and passed on to our younger generation, and it is important that projects such as this are supported to assist in this preservation. Over the past few years, Australia and the rest of the world have begun to experience the rich and vibrant culture and art of the Torres Strait, with our own “home grown” artists now in great demand and gaining national and international recognition. Significantly, this year (2007) is the first time a Torres Strait Islander has won the coveted Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award. I am delighted that Dennis Nona, regarded as one of our leading artists, has been given this honour. I would also like to acknowledge Alick Tipoti for being awarded the 2007 Telstra Works on Paper prize. I am also excited to hear of the development of the KickArts printmaking studio which will contribute to the enhancement of local economic and social activity, and the promotion and preservation of Torres Strait Islander culture. When completed, this project will provide an environment where some of our best artists can further develop their exceptional talent and expand the Torres Strait’s unique product into the wider arts market. KickArts has already had significant engagement with our own Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday Island, and with the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective on Moa Island which are two examples of key arts infrastructure in Torres Strait. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the artists taking part in Ailan Currents, to the KickArts board and staff, to all the sponsors and to Arts Queensland for their ongoing support of this important work.

John Toshie Kris Chairman Torres Strait Regional Authority 5

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KickArts and the Zenadh-Kes Printmaking Movement Rae O’Connell The Torres Strait is a unique and surprisingly beautiful region of Australia. The group of islands found there is known as Zenadh-Kes in Kala Lagaw Ya, one of the remaining indigenous languages of the Torres Strait Islander people. This region has a rich history and diverse future. As more people become aware of the beauty and unique environment of the place between mainland Australia’s Cape York Peninsula and neighbouring Papua New Guinea, the many islands that make up Zenadh-Kes are becoming more recognisable to the wider community through increased land and sea rights and increased tourism, trade and cultural exchanges of visual and performing arts. This exhibition and catalogue, whose title ‘Ailan Currents’ has been derived from Torres Strait Creole by indigenous writer and artist Brian Robinson, provides a glimpse of the excellent works of art that are being created by a selection of contemporary Zenadh-Kes printmakers. Both leading Torres Strait Islander artist Brian Robinson and master printmaker Theo Tremblay have written for this catalogue and present texts that describe the rich history and transition of Torres Strait culture. These writers describe the incredible journey of the Zenadh-Kes printmaking movement that, over the years, has seen many significant Torres Strait Islander artists travel to Cairns to study art at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE and to then go on to further their studies in printmaking at the Australian National University in Canberra and Griffith University in Brisbane. Some of these artists continue to print their own editions or are working with master printmakers in studios across Australia. Much of the commercial interest and nurturing of this particular printmaking movement has been facilitated through Adrian Newstead and Michael Kershaw from the Australian Art Print Network based in Sydney. The results have been outstanding with some of the most recent developments in Australian contemporary printmaking coming from these Torres Strait Islander artists. This is an exciting time in the history of Australian printmaking and heralds a shift of awareness as the centre of activity and innovation within the art form can now be found in Northern Australia and in particular with the Indigenous artists of the mainland and the Torres Strait. These innovations are developments within the unique processes of mark making and image making particular to this form of art and indicate a future for the medium that can survive the now-ubiquitous digital era. Indigenous artists across Northern Australia have embraced printmaking as a unique medium to create and to share their stories and rich cultural heritage. Printmaking from this region is making a significant contribution to contemporary art in Australia and is simultaneously being collected across the globe. The aim of the Ailan Currents exhibition is to present works of art that best demonstrate the excellent work currently being produced by a selection of contemporary Torres Strait Islander artists and in addition, showcase the significant works of art printed at KickArts over the past months. In curating this exhibition the emphasis has been to impart a particular awareness of the art form of printmaking and to demonstrate

how it provides a vehicle and assists in the preservation of the Torres Strait culture through pictorial story telling. Another desired outcome is to promote the sale of the editions, helping to provide a good source of income for the artists selected. The collaborative and professional approach these artists have established confirms the culturally correct process of presenting these stories and represents an achievement of national significance. It is important that the community from which the stories have originated are happy with the form with which the stories are presented. The artist must seek permission to recreate and share the stories with others and their interpretation of the story must be correct literally and visually. At a workshop convened by the Australian Art Print Network in 2007 these issues were discussed intensely and one of the leading Torres Strait Islander printmakers, Billy Missi noted, “I do not mind if people do not like my work, but if my community criticises my work then I am hurt. They must approve of my interpretation of the stories of our land. This is most important.” The ability to make considerably larger works of art in printmaking has extended the visual information that can be presented for each story, making scale a notable innovation pioneered by these artists. The obsession with scale was introduced into the movement by Dennis Nona who, after having been inspired by the large 2001 linocut work ‘Celebration’ by Cairns based Indigenous artist Arone Meeks, went on to produce ‘Sesserae’ and a number of other large works. To date the largest linocut work by Nona approaches six metres long and the first workshop proof of this giant, pulled off the press at KickArts in 2007 was a collaborative effort with master printmaker Theo Tremblay being assisted by Nona, David Bosun, Billy Missi, Alick Tipoti, studio assistant Renae Stevens, Di Kershaw and KickArts staff amongst others. The artists represented in Ailan Currents continue to inspire one another and are now passing on their knowledge and appreciation of printmaking to the next generation of artists with impressive results – strengthening the ZenadhKes printmaking movement and attracting attention across cultural and political borders. The collection of prints included in Ailan Currents presents a small window into a much more substantial area of practice, one that has seen works printed at KickArts in Cairns going into major institutional collections across Australia and overseas, along with private collections nationally and internationally. With the establishment of the KickArts printmaking studio and centre of excellence and innovation in printmaking, KickArts will provide a professional facility for artists to develop new work in an environment of collaboration, support and high industry standards. This project marks a significant milestone for KickArts as we move into a new phase of operation, one that extends the fruitful and effective engagement KickArts has with artists by opening up new opportunities and markets for them. It is an honour and a privelege to be presenting seven Torres Strait Islander artists in this catalogue, and to have come closer to their communities and to their stories.

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Torze Moibut

Kussa I

Mata Kawa I Aubussi I

Ber

Ture Ture

Bramble Cay

Bobo I

Black Rks

Moimi I

Auwamaza Reef

Guinea Papua New Australia

n P assa ge

Turnagain I

Underdown I Pearce Cay

Stephens I Campbell I

Nepean I

Dalrymple I

Nicholls Reef

Tudu I Zagai I Yam I

Aureed I

Saddle I

Getullai I

Sue I

Ninepin Rk

Peenacar Islet

Bank s Cha nnel Long Reef

Vigilant

Ibis Reefs

Woiz Reef

Kai-Maituine Reef Meggi-Maituine Reef

Harvey Rks

Muknab Rk Channel I Hawkesbury I

Bet Re ef Chan nel

Poll I

Mt Ernest I

Twin I

R A

Au-Masig Reef

Alpha Rk

Horn

MURALAG

R OU

R ST

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A IT

ed Ke

BAMAGA

y In le t

Barn I

Bayag Reef

Cairns NORTHERN TERRITORY

Cay

Johnson Islet Ch

Cape York Peninsula

Dayman I

Mt Adolphus I

Cape York

Entrance I

Prince of Wales

Darwin

Wap Reef Kagar Reef

Little Adolphus I

NGURUPAI

Booby I

Crab Is

Reef

Dugong I

Wednesday I

Thursday I

Woody Wallis Islet

Ashmor nce

Yule Entra

Cay

East Strait Islet

WAIBEN

Red Wallis Islet

Seven Reefs

Susur Reef

l Channe Simpson el Chann Dayman nnel s Cha le a W of Prince

Maped-Au-Kap Reef Gubmarau Reef

hannel

Kai- Wareg Reef

Meggi-W areg Reef

Meiu Reef

Yule C

Goods I

Kodnasem Reef

Maped Reef

Kirkcaldie Reef

Travers I

rni

be Hi

Suarji I

MOA

Passage

Halfway I

Cay Richardson Reef

Bet Islet

Cumberla

Newman Reef

Lowry I

Pinnace Reef

Portlock I

BADU

Coconut I

Mer I Wyer Islet

North Possession I

Gurigur Reef

Dove Islet

Passage

Bond I

Tancred

Sassie I

Watson Cay

Murray Is

Dowar I

Mimi Islet

Roberts Islet

North I

i nd

Aukane Islet Bourke Islet

Dungeness Reef

Talab I MABUIAG Passage I

West I

Layoak Islet

an tr

Kibi Meri Reef

Tagun Reef

Kabbikane Islet Pas sa

Big Mary Reef

Cay

Kodall Islet

Smith Cay

Arden I

Anui Reef

Duncan Is

ilisk

Yorke Islands

Hastings Reef

Gariar Reef

Bas

Gap Islet

Massig Islet

Rennel I

Gabba I Mourilyan Reef

Kai Reef

a ine Gu ew N ua lia Pap stra Au

ar r

Sinclairs Rk Beka Reef

Marsden I

Seo Reef

Cay

Keats Islet

Numar Reef

Don Cay

Cay

ef s

Aldai Reef

Emar Reef

Darnley I

Moo

ance I

East Cay

Dauan I

Anchor Cay

a Re rri ef or s

Saibai Island

Kaumag I

ISLA ND

TALBO T

Mabaduan Sigabaduru

Boigu Island

Kawa I

Masingara Mawatta

Parama I

Mari

Buji

Parama

Katatai Daru

Papua New Guinea

Cay l

Albany I

QUEENSLAND Triangle Reef

Cay Nomer Cay

Newcastle Bay

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Wyborn Reef

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Brisbane

Turtle I Turtle Head I

NEW SOUTH WALES

Linda Reef

Australia

This map is for illustrative purposes and does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of KickArts, the artists or authors.

Map of the Torres Strait

VICTORIA

TASMANIA

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From Mask to Paper Brian Robinson

Introduction An artistic tradition in the Torres Strait has been present for many centuries. Art and craft production played a vital role in everyday life. Utilising natural materials, the traditional artisans visualised their thoughts and surroundings and expressed them on functional objects, ceremonial masks and implements. With the introduction of Christianity, or the Coming of the Light1 in 1871, came the demise of traditional lifestyle. The production of ceremonial icons was tabooed and eventually stopped. As a consequence the skill and craftsmanship involved in the manufacture of these objects severely declined. Over the past decades Torres Strait material culture has been displayed in large ethnographic and anthropological institutions throughout the world. Research scholars in the 1960s attempting to salvage the remnant knowledge of ailan kustom2 from the

Islander elders may have consciously contributed to the revival of interest in the ‘old ways of life’. Links to this traditional work and access to the scholars’ visual documentation has prompted new artistic energy and present-day practitioners now draw from these works to reconstruct their pasts and express their unique culture. Since the early 1990s the predominant form of artistic expression in two dimensions for this younger generation has been in the field of printmaking, particularly linocuts or relief printing as well as etching and lithography. These skillfully refined prints, intricately detailed with traditional motifs, are an extension of an ancient art method used to ornament functional items and ceremonial objects. This recent surge in art production has been aided by the establishment of art centres in remote indigenous communities as well as the development of courses specifically designed for

1 The Torres Strait Islanders faced significant historical, cultural and social change when Reverend Samuel MacFarlane of the London Missionary Society brought Christianity to the Torres Strait on 1 July 1871. This is referred to by the Islanders as ‘Coming of the Light’ and is celebrated annually on 1 July by all Torres Strait Islander communities throughout the Torres Strait and mainland Australia. 2 The creole word ‘kustom’ covers a blending of cultural traits and practices that form the basis of Islander social organisation. 8

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indigenous people at both college and university level.

An Art Tradition - the Mask Before the arrival of the London Missionary Society in 1871 to ‘evangelise’ the Torres Strait Islanders with the ‘word of God’, traditional island life prospered. As Islander communities established, they developed within their marine environment a way of life and technology based not only on hunting and gathering but also fishing and, on most islands, horticulture. Artistic practice played a vital role in everyday life, as this form of expression gave shape to the Islanders’ gods. Their inherent spirituality derived from ancestral ties to the land and sea. This spirit world was given form through the creation of ritual objects, in particular ceremonial masks used in dance. The mask was the medium by which Islanders could evoke spiritual protection during war, hunting, initiation, cult practices and increase ceremonies which meant continued abundance of food stock, as well as determining an individual’s position in society. Due to the location and topography of the island groups, very few natural resources were available, but this did not hinder the production of artefacts and is testimony to the skills acquired by Islander artisans. Being seafaring people, the Torres Strait Islanders had mastered the sea and its products, so it is not surprising that their greatest achievements were produced with marine materials harvested from the surrounding seas. They manufactured artefacts from ocean materials but they also introduced both raw materials and artefacts into the customary exchange network.3 By this method the Islanders obtained, in return for their materials, food and artefacts that they could not produce. Goldlip pearlshell, coneshells and carapace plates from the Hawksbill turtle were the most precious commodities exchanged. Turtleshell was the most sought-after, as it was fashioned into elaborate ritual and ceremonial masks, hair combs, body ornaments, scrapers, spoons and fishing implements such as hooks. Masks constructed from turtleshell and wood were the most distinctive and highly embellished of all objects from the Torres Strait artisans. Turtleshell masks were a central component to ritual observance throughout most of the islands in the Western, Eastern and Central groups but the Top Western Islands also obtained wooden masks via trade and exchange with nearby coastal Papua New Guinea. Torres Strait masks generally fell into two categories, those made from carved wood known as mawa in the Western Islands and the other, molded carapace plates of the Hawksbill turtle known as le-op in the Eastern Islands. The fabrication of turtleshell required extreme skill. Flakes of shell were heated in boiling water, molded into desired forms while hot and pliable

3 AC Haddon (ed.) Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Strait, vol 1 – 6, Cambridge University Press, 1901–1935.

and then left to cool. Once hardened, the shaped plates were then assembled and strung together using sennit, a braided cord, handspun from natural fibres, and later ornamented with seeds, shells, cassowary feathers, human bones, ochres, natural fibres, human hair, fretwork and engravings. Wooden masks referred to as mawa, were used particularly in the Western Islands. These possibly originated from Daudai, Papua New Guinea (given the scarcity of suitable working woods in the Strait) as there is a long history of the importation of objects, especially wooden, such as canoes and drums between the two cultures. Once obtained, the Islanders then refined these wooden masks before applying decorative elements, much like the turtleshell masks.

Art in Transition - Dance, Myths and Legends The influence of the missionaries had a profound effect on pre-Christian art and value systems. The production of traditional worship objects such as turtleshell masks and ceremonial sculpture was disallowed resulting in the decline of ancestral knowledge and skills. A new art tradition developed in place of ancient art practices. With the introduction of Christianity came new western attitudes, influences and implements, and it wasn’t long before these new materials and tools were widely accepted. Non-traditional media was explored and two-dimensional painting emerged as a dominant form of expression. The suppression of traditional religious practices in favour of Christianity also altered the way Islanders expressed their culture. Dance now emerged as the pre-eminent cultural practice around which secular activities revolved. With its continued existence, Islander artists now redirected their energies into the creation of dance paraphernalia: the elaborate and articulated dance machines4 and percussion instruments and the transference of Islander aesthetics to these objects. In addition, a continued experimentation with weaving techniques under the expertise of Torres Strait Islander women resulted in the production of domestic items such as fans, mats and baskets. The technical and artistic skill used in the production of such objects parallel traditional sculptural practices that remained within the male domain. The embryonic stages of a two-dimensional artistry developed during a short period dating from the late 1960s. In preparation for a publication, Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait, Margaret Lawrie, an Australian historian employed at the Queensland State 4 As their name suggests, dance machines are used in a dance performance context at celebrations such as inter-island cultural festivals, church festivals, weddings, tombstone ceremonies and other important events in the Islander cultural year. Dance machines as cultural objects cannot be separated from this dance performance context, and dance in contemporary Torres Strait society is an important component of cultural life. 9

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Library, collected a large group of watercolour illustrations. Lawrie travelled the Strait extensively, recording the creation stories, the myths and legends of Zenadh-Kes.5

machines and domestic items such as woven fans, mats and basketry, items still largely utilised in the communities throughout the islands and increasingly more on the mainland.

In preparation for the publication, Lawrie approached several local craftsmen. These men were skilled practitioners with extensive knowledge of ailan kustom encompassing ceremony, language, dance and music, mythology and arts and crafts. Included in this group were Ephraim and Ngailu Bani, Segar Passi, Locky Tom and Kala Waia. Seeking illustrative artwork that would help individuals comprehend the indigenous mythology that was being recorded, Lawrie supplied these local craftsmen with the necessary materials and equipment (watercolour paints and paper) to undertake the task. This new medium gave these craftsmen another outlet through which their creativity could flow. On completion, the illustrations presented to Lawrie were naïve representations of the landscape and human form. Painted in wildly vivid colours, the artists visualised certain aspects of traditional Islander culture, with much emphasis on portraying the formation of land forms, supernatural beings and mythical warriors as they interacted with and altered primitive Islander society and structure. These early two-dimensional works displayed for the first time the Islanders’ acceptance and interpretation of a western art tradition and today are classified as being one of the largest collections of early two-dimensional Torres Strait art reflecting a distinct naïve realism.6

The positioning of artists within the traditional urban division is flexible, with some artists gradually moving from traditional community to urban, and others experimenting with urban art concepts while remaining closer to the traditional community realm. At the latter end of this spectrum are the groups of Torres Strait resident artists who are senior figures living within their home communities. These artists briefly experimented with western art techniques when producing illustrations for myths and legends of the Torres Strait.

As with many indigenous creation stories, the illustrations depicted only part of the sometimes lengthy narratives, and it was not until the early 1990s, through the work of Islander students at the Cairns TAFE (Dennis Nona and Alick Tipoti), that audiences were able to see an entire story in one work, a two-dimensional storyboard on paper, similar to those produced in wood by indigenous artists of Papua New Guinea.

Contemporary Torres Strait Art The development of Torres Strait art over the past 25 years has seen a gradual increase in its popularity. In recent years, the aesthetics of works produced by Islander artists have been recognised by art institutions throughout Australia and internationally which have begun to actively collect this unique indigenous visual expression. To best simplify Torres Strait art, three divisions can be drawn: traditional community, traditional urban and urban.7 Traditional community artists reside in the Torres Strait and produce artwork in accordance with established and aesthetic protocols. These works encompass dance paraphernalia including musical instruments, dance

5 6 7

The development of a contemporary Torres Strait art tradition has, however, been primarily led by Islander artists residing on mainland Australia. Over the past 25 years these artists have reinterpreted the visual history of the Torres Strait through their utilisation of modern media and techniques. These artists seek traditional knowledge through interaction with community elders and individual research. A majority of these artists are graduates of the Visual Arts Department of the Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE in Cairns. Many of these younger artists experiment with various media including printmaking and painting. Their inherent carving skills, evident on ceremonial masks as etched and lime-filled motifs produced by their forefathers, have led to the production of intricate relief prints on paper. These have created intense interest within art circles throughout Australia and overseas. In viewing contemporary Islander printmaking, one senses a relaxed mastery that allows the artist to realise complex, often geometric, highly expressive designs and motifs which generally form the background patterning of the print, over which a main object or several objects are placed. Background colours are varied, moving from tints of blue and green, through to various shades of reds and ochres to the stark black and white combination. Elegant rhythmic strokes with rippling movement encourage the eye to move with them, and a fineness of line, combined with the flat tints and shaded areas, result in spectacular effects. Often themes from legends and myths of the Torres Strait form the narrative, with inspiration taken from the marine environment. The symbolism of these engravings is immediately obvious. There is a clear connection with tradition, which lends strength to all the works – an affirmation of cultural beliefs and affiliations. Many of these and other artists are working not only in union with their culture, traditions and history but are also responding to their contemporary environment – urbanisation, western influences and the appearance of new techniques. Other artists have little to no formal art training, but utilise their traditional knowledge and skill to develop distinct contemporary styles in textile, pearlshell scrimshaw and dhoeri (dhari) headdress production.

Western Island language of Kala Lagaw Ya meaning Torres Strait. Mosby, Ilan Pasin p.96 Mosby, Ilan Pasin p.87

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Finally, the urban Torres Strait artists: this group is invariably descendants of migrant Islanders living on mainland Australia. These artists have acquired extensive knowledge of western art practices and art institution training. They are driven by their individual consciousness to express issues such as the search for identity and the effects of political, colonial and religious limitations on the lives of Torres Strait Islanders and other indigenous people. Along with the significant Torres Strait printmakers included in this project notable others are: Laurie Nona, Robert Mast, Nicholas Ganaia, Ben Hodges, Kalee Igibe, David Jimmy, John Mast, David Bosun, Robert Nawakie, Songie Pearson, Sharon Phineasa, Peter See Kee, Mario Assan, Rosie Barkus, Fred Baira, Ceferino Sabatino, Riyala Turpin, Matatia Warrior, Glen Mackie, Nazareth Alfred, Lorraine Iboai and Kathryn Norris.

Conclusion Torres Strait art provides key components in the construction of Torres Strait Islander identity, both for Islanders and others. The creativeness of this unique art is unmatched in the world. Despite the many setbacks over the past one hundred years, many individuals remain optimistic about the future of Torres Strait visual arts. With the establishment of Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Waiben, the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective (MMAC) Art Centre at Kubin Community on Moa Island and numerous others dispersed throughout the Torres Strait and around the country, and with them the emergence of contemporary Islander art practitioners, this unique art will remain distinct as it continues to develop and refine.

References Art and Australia, 1997, The Festival of the Dreaming, Fine Arts Press Pty Ltd, Sydney. Caruana, Wally, 1993, Aboriginal Art, Thames and Hudson, London. Haddon (ed.), 1912, Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits - vol 1V, Cambridge University Press, U.K. Lawrie, Margaret, 1970, Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait, University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, Queensland. Moore, David R, 1989, Arts and Crafts of Torres Strait, Shire Publications Ltd, Cromwell House, London. Mosby, Tom, 1998, Ilan Pasin: Torres Strait Art, exhibition catalogue, A Cairns Regional Gallery Publication, Queensland. Wilson, Lindsay, 1988, Thathilgaw Emeret Lu: A hand book of traditional Torres Strait Island material culture, Department of Education, Queensland. Wilson, Lindsay, 1993, Kerkar Lu: Contemporary Artefacts of the Torres Strait Islanders, Department of Education, Queensland. Demozay, Marion, 2006, Gatherings ll: Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from Queensland Australia, Keeaira Press, Queensland Newstead, Adrian, 2001, Gelam Nguzu Kazi: Dugong my Son (exhibition catalogue), Kubin Community Council and the Australian Art Print Network.

For a number of people, particularly the younger generation, there is a desire not only to revive the myths and legends of the past for current inspiration, but also to show the importance of identity – ensuring that Islanders can reconnect with their traditional culture while also ensuring that their distinctly different contemporary art and culture is presented to a broader audience with integrity and authenticity.

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Joey Laifoo

Joey Laifoo was born in 1978 and grew up in the strong, rich cultural environment offered on Badu Island in the Western Torres Strait. Commencing art studies in Cairns in 1996 at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE, it was soon evident that he possessed special talent and a strong cultural heritage he wanted to visually express. Laifoo’s print work has been shown in numerous exhibitions throughout Queensland and New South Wales and in 2003, his work featured in an exhibition entitled Grosse Kunstausstellung at the Museum Kunst Palast in Dusseldorf. In 2004 his work appeared in an exhibition entitled Out of Country, which presented the art of Queensland’s indigenous artists to audiences in Charlottesville and Washington in the United States of America.

Joey LAIFOO

Pearling lifestyle

2004 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size:1125 x 800 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Joey Laifoo printer: Joey Laifoo

Laifoo’s intricately carved linocuts focus primarily on his interpretation of family history and the cultural traditions of Badu Islanders.

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Billy Missi

Billy Missi was born in 1970 on Mabuiag (Jervis) Island in the Torres Strait. He initially became interested in the production of art after seeing an exhibition of paintings produced by fellow Islander artists in 1992. Without the immediate support from family and friends, he continued to dive for crayfish as a means of supporting his lifestyle. Encouragement from Dennis Nona in 2000 gave Missi the strength and confidence to partially abandon the contemporary hunter/gatherer lifestyle he was leading, to pursue a career in the arts. Today, Missi is seen as a senior visual arts practitioner from the Torres Strait. A member of the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective, he has been instrumental in the development of contemporary Torres Strait Art, particularly within the islands comprising the Torres Strait.

Billy Missi carving a large linocut at KickArts. Photo: David Campbell

Missi has received various accolades during his short but dedicated involvement with the art centre on Moa Island. He received a highly commended recognition award for a linocut print that was entered into the 5th National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards based in Canberra as well as being a major prize winner at the 31st Fremantle Print Award in 2006.

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Billy Missi

Sapur Au Kubi (Dark Flock of Bats)

Billy MISSI

During mango, almond and cashew nut season a lot of Sapur (Flying Foxes) come to our village and gardens.

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 693 x 995 mm edition size: 90 publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Billy Missi

When the sun begins to set in the western sky, the Sapur usually come in flocks from the thick mangroves that fringe the coastline. The Sapur only come out at dusk to raid the fruit trees so that people cannot see them. Otherwise they would be targeted by hunters and chased away. Despite this they do make a lot of noise as they feed.

Sapur au kubi (dark flock of bats)

The Sapur suck the juice out of the fruit and dispose of the rest making a lot of mess under the trees. They do this all night until morning breaks, when they take flight back to their isolated, thick scrubs and mangroves. Growing up in the islands in the 1970s, these sightings were common during fruit season. It is our uncles who tell us that whenever flocks of Sapur approach the gardens, the fruit is ripe. This image shows a large number of Sapur flying to the village to feed on the fruit trees. They circle above the trees to choose where they will feed for the evening. 16

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Billy Missi

Kulba Yadail (Old Lyrics)

Billy MISSI

In our culture, the stories and other knowledge of our world have always been handed down orally from generation to generation since time immemorial. It is this knowledge that provides guidance. From the boys’ perspective, it is their uncles, fathers and sometimes grandfathers who teach them this knowledge. This plays a big role later in life. Kulba Yadail teaches us to read the stars, the moon and the sea.

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 845 x 475 mm edition size: 90 Publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Billy Missi

Kulba yadail (old lyrics)

This image symbolises Kulba Yadail that describes our environment, our culture and also our identity. The piece is divided into three parts: the constellations of the stars, the land and the four seasons of the Torres Strait. There are important Zugubal (star constellations) that move through the sky and are intimately connected to the four seasons. One of the most important Zugubal is the Baidam (shark) which is closely observed in the Western Torres Straits as a signal for changes in the tides, wind and seasons. The four seasons are represented as Sager (south-east trade winds), Gabu Thornar (winter), Naigai (the calm northerly wind before monsoon) and Kuki (the monsoon). The relationship between the stars and the seasons determines when we can cultivate, hunt and harvest the food from the sea and land. The swaying pattern that runs diagonally from the top left to the bottom right symbolizes all of this complex knowledge, that is known as Kulba Yadail. 18

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Billy Missi Links This image is an expression on trade, language and inter-marriage between Naigai Dagam Daudai (Papua New Guinea), Zai Dagam Daudai (Australia) and our homeland. Trade once flowed throughout the Torres Strait region like a crawling snake leaving its tracks in time and its influence on the islands as we see them today. Our people traded many things between the islands for many reasons – most trade was with the western province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) for they had bigger trees growing along their rivers to build dugout canoes and a larger land mass with many resources. Traders also came from as far as Cape York Peninsula’s east and west coasts, which meant that they had to connect and socialise with the Islanders to assist in navigation through our treacherous waters and speak the language to help them understand when they had reached their destination on the PNG coast, and vice versa for the Papuans heading to the mainland of Australia. During these connections many skills, methods and knowledge about survival were shared and adapted to our societal ways of living. Most traders were accepted by families in additional kinship, which is why some families on the islands have bloodlines to both Aboriginals and Papuans. This is also why we have a special ‘Treaty’ in place between the Torres Strait and the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Since the early 1900s when pearl shells were discovered in this region, people from other ethnic groups (South Sea Islanders, Malaysians, Japanese etc.) have been attracted to the region to work and trade in this industry. This is how the Torres Strait became a multicultural society.

Billy MISSI

Links

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block Paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 997 x 675 mm edition size: 90 publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Billy Missi Billy MISSI

The five vertical wave-patterned lines represent the cluster groups affected in the region. The five horizontal patterned lines represent lines of kinship between islands. The two intricate areas on the top and bottom represent Papua New Guinea and Australia. Characters depict what was traded, eg. shells for chest pendants, parts of ceremonies that were adopted, etc. The wavy line running horizontally represents the turbulent current which flows through the Strait from the Coral Sea to the Timor and Arafura Seas. All this is what makes our culture significant, living in the middle of two land masses and the waterways that link the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. All the aspects of those movements of so long ago have impacted on our lives and as a result we are all linked in many ways, therefore I title this piece ‘Links’. 20

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Billy Missi

Mawan Sagulal (Mawa Ceremony) In the Western Torres Strait, our ontological beliefs are not only expressed orally but also through dance; in its movement and song. Mawan Sagulal (the Mawa Ceremony) was once performed widely throughout the Western Torres Strait. It was a celebration of the arrival of native fruits and yams, such as Ubar or Wongai (native plum), Kowai (bush apple), Mergai (bush berry), Gabau (wild yams) and others. It was our ancestors’ beliefs that Mawa provided these fruits, and Mawan Sagulal are dance expressions for the seasonal timeframe, and a celebration and thanksgiving to him for these gifts of nature to ensure that there can be more bounty in the next and many seasons to come. But it was more than simple dances, it was a transcendence of the physical, a way to connect with the life forces that flow through our trees, our seas and ourselves. The Mawan Sagulal was performed across the Western Torres Strait and extending into the Central Torres Strait, yet each island had its own unique way of expressing and performing it (see A. C. Haddon, 1904: 347-349). The man in the Mawa mask in the foreground orchestrates the movement of the dance. He is anonymous. A line of dancers in the background frame the figure of Mawa, and express their joyfulness at the riches of the crops which we call in our terms Aiy Thaithal Angaik. The basket below centre represents a good season for Gabau (wild yams).

Kaisi (the onlookers) carefully observe the strong and fit dancers as the ceremony proceeds. My uncle once told me that it was during these ceremonies that some marriages were arranged, based on reliable food supply. The members of the tribe that produced the biggest harvest were those most favoured. The patterns and lines that run between the human figures, harvesting basket and the crop symbols represent the spiritual trains between them which make up the power of nature. Practising these ceremonies every year was very important for maintaining the bonds and relationships between tribes. Dancing was also a part of keeping healthy, fit and strong so our people could survive in this wilderness between the two masses of land – Papua New Guinea to the North and Australia to the South.

Source: Alfred Cort Haddon 1904 Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expeditions to Torres Straits: Sociology, Magic, and Religion of the Western Islanders. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 23

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Billy Missi

Mawan sagulal (mawa ceremony)

2006 linocut printed in coloured ink from one block, hand coloured paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 1000 x 1990 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

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Brian Robinson

Tagai (Guardian of the Heavens)

Brian ROBINSON

The mythology of Tagai, Guardian of the Heavens, is a central motif for all Torres Strait Islanders alike. A vast star constellation comprising Centaurus, Lupus, Scorpio, Corus, Crux, Hydra and one star of Ara, Tagai brings about social and seasonal change through the Islands.

2007 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 605 x 2002 mm edition size: 50 publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay

Appearing in the night sky above the Torres Strait, Tagai is seen as a figure standing in a canoe with outstretched arms. In his left hand, the Southern Cross (Crux), he holds a fishing spear, and in his right (Corvus) a piece of red fruit.

Tagai (guardian of the heavens)

In traditional times, Tagai appeared during the season of Naigai – the north winds. This is a time when the seas are calm and the weather is fine, a time for sailing to obtain food and material either through hunting and gathering or via trade with nearby islands. Garden beds are also prepared with the tilling of soil and sowing of seeds before the onset of the annual monsoon season.

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Brian Robinson

Brian was born in 1973 and grew up on Waiben (Thursday) Island, the gateway to the idyllic tropical environment of the Torres Strait. During his childhood, he gained valuable knowledge and appreciation of the culture of his people and was particularly influenced by the myths and legends of the Torres Strait, and the traditional motifs and natural carving ability of the islanders. Robinson commenced art studies in 1992 at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE. After graduating he undertook numerous artist-in-residence projects aligned with the Pacific Dreams exhibition organised by the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville (1995 - 1996). In 1997 Robinson commenced employment with Cairns Regional Gallery as an intern curator and is still employed at the institution as Exhibitions Manager, Deputy Director.

Brian ROBINSON

Midas touch

2007 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 422 x 544 mm edition size: 50 printer: Theo Tremblay / Renea Stevens publisher: KickArts

Enthusiasm for expanding the boundaries of a given visual art technique gives an exuberant freshness to Robinson’s art practice, which he sees as continually referencing the physical environment and resources of the islands he still calls home. Robinson is a multi-skilled contemporary artist, whose practice includes painting, printmaking, sculpture and design. The graphic style in his practice combines his Torres Strait Islander heritage with a strong passion for experimentation, both in theoretical approach and medium, as well as crossing the boundaries between reality and fantasy. The results combine styles as diverse as graffiti art through to intricate relief carvings and construction sculpture echoing images of Torres Strait cultural motifs, objects and activities. 32

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Brian Robinson

. . . And they flew from the airfield at Ngurupai

Brian ROBINSON

The headdress depicted in this image is one of a number constructed for a story dance about aircraft movements between Ngurupai (Horn) Island military airfield and New Guinea during the Second World War. Dancers using fighter aircraft replicas interpret raids on Japanese targets.

2007 Edition size: 50 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 383 x 555 mm publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Renea Stevens

... And they flew from the airfield at Ngurupai

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Leroy Alua Savage

Leroy Alua Savage was born in Cairns in 1981, and raised in Kubin on Moa Island. Leroy graduated from Trinity Bay High School, Cairns, in 1999. He started part-time study in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Visual Arts at the Tropical North Queensland TAFE in 2001. He has studied drawing, painting, linoprinting and ceramics. Leroy is the son of Norm Savage, a prominent pearl diver, who taught Leroy to build model pearl luggers, from which Leroy makes a living. Leroy is also a prolific jewellery maker using, among other natural substances, coral and silver.

Leroy Alua SAVAGE

Not titled

2005 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix Size: 350 x 600 mm edition size: 75 publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Renea Stevens

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Dennis Nona Dennis Nona was born on Waiben (Thursday) Island in 1973 and spent his childhood at his family’s home on Badu (Mulgrave) Island. In 1990 he travelled to Cairns where he completed his Associate Diploma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Visual Arts at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE, Cairns. During time spent at the college, Nona carved and printed many fine works from linoblocks. Comprising intricately cut detail, his main themes were, and still are, based on Torres Strait creation stories, the myths and legends and ceremonial practices throughout the islands. The main image or images are represented by bold, flat areas of colour (usually black) surrounded by traditional marking, motifs, and clan totems.

Dennis Nona rolling ink onto a carved lino block at KickArts. Photo: David Campbell

In 1995 Nona gained entry into the Australian National University (Canberra School of Art) where he was awarded a Diploma of Visual Art (in printmaking). Since graduating, he has taken up a number of residencies and has held numerous exhibitions throughout Australia the United Kingdom and Europe). During 2000, Nona went about establishing a print studio on Moa (Banks) Island in the Kubin community. With assistance from the community council and Torres Strait Regional Authority, he launched the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective comprising Nona, Billy Missi, Victor Motlop and David Bosun. In 2005, Nona’s first major solo exhibition Sesserae: The Works of Dennis Nona was launched at the Queensland College of Art before touring nationally across the country as well as internationally to Paris and London. He has recently completed a Master of Visual Arts (in printmaking) from the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University. Nona’s most recent and significant accolade came in August 2007 where, for a bronze sculpture, he was awarded overall winner of the 24th Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award held annually in Darwin at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Nona has become an important ambassador for the contemporary art of the Torres Strait Islands, and his work is gaining international attention. He is now regarded as one of the highest exponents of linocut printmaking in Australia. His exploration and skill in the medium of linocut prints have led to a unique contemporary visual expression of Torres Strait Islander culture, defining the means to retell the great stories of the Torres Strait Islanders. 39

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Dennis Nona

Dennis NONA

Baidam (shark constellation)

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 940 x 2390 mm edition size: 35 Publisher: Australian Art Print Network Printer: Theo Tremblay

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Baidam (Shark Constellation) Baidam translated is shark. This artwork is about a constellation of stars (Zugubau Thithuyial). This constellation consists of seven stars, which the Aboriginal people call the Seven Sisters. My people call it the shark constellation. The stars were used for navigation. They also provide knowledge about the seasons and for growing fruit and vegetables. In about July/ August the shark constellation will level itself across the horizon of New Guinea. At seven or eight o’clock you will see it parallel to New Guinea. At this time the wind drops. Around this time we begin planting vegetables and fruit: Cassava, Dawai (banana), Guru (sugar cane), Taro/Urrgubau (sweet potato). Those are the main ones planted when the shark lies across the horizon. When it becomes calm in the Torres Strait, around this time, a grease forms on the surface of the sea. I have shown this in the artwork. The grease is called Baidam aw id (when the shark liver has melted on the sea). At this time it is also shark mating season: a dangerous time in the sea. The shark constellation rotates throughout the year. In February, when you see the stars beginning to shine, they are the shark.

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Joel Sam

Joel Sam’s family lives in Bamaga and originates from Saibai Island. Born on Waiben (Thursday) Island he currently lives in Cairns, having finished his art studies in 2005 with a Diploma of Art in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Visual Arts at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE. Over the last 4 years he has been developing an art practice and technical skills in the linocut medium. Joel’s artworks are inspired by his culture, and the images are of sea creatures that live in and around the Torres Strait, such as turtles, dugong, the fish of the reef and the shells and corals of the Coral Sea. The bidthai (squid) and the thulup (stingray)represents a main food source for Torres Strait Islanders. Joel is a regular exhibitor at KickArts, and KickArts is publishing several of his new prints.

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Joel Sam

Joel SAM

Thulup (stingray)

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 310 x 230 mm edition size: 50 publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Renae Stevens

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Joel Sam

Joel SAM

Bidthai (squid)

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Arches BFK 300 GSM matrix size: 310 x 230 mm edition size: 50 publisher: KickArts printer: Theo Tremblay / Renea Stevens

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Dennis Nona

Dennis Nona with Dhogai Zug at KickArts in 2006. Photo: David Campbell

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Dennis Nona

Dennis NONA Dhogai Zug 2006 linocut printed in black ink, kaidaral & handcoloured from one block paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 1080 x 2605 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

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Dhogai Zug This legend originated from Badu Island in the Torres Strait. There are two islands off Badu called Zurath Island and Kulbaikulbai Island. On Zurath Island there lived a Dhogai (witch) and on Kulbaikulbai Island a clan of people lived. Ocassionally Badu Island warriors would row their canoes to Kulbaikulbai to plant vegetable gardens. One delightful day one of the warriors saw turtle tracks on Zurath and asked the people if they would like to go and gather the eggs. Most people refused because of the Dhogai living there. A man called Gabu Kai Kai said he was not scared and rowed his baethae (half of a broken canoe) to Zurath, where the Dhogai was. When he arrived at Zurath he saw an enormous tree with ripe haubau (fruit) and instead of gathering the turtle eggs he decided to gather the fruit. The fruit belonged to the Dhogai who had waited weeks for it to ripen. The Dhogai would wait for the fruit to fall then gather it from the ground. Gabu Kai Kai did not know this and collected some of the fruit in his basket. He then decided to climb the habau tree and pick more fruit. One morning the Dhogai was very hungry and knowing that her habau fruit would be ripe she walked down from her sakai (sleeping cave) to eat some. The Dhogai looked under the tree for the fruit but only saw the footprints left by Gabu Kai Kai in the sand. Gabu Kai Kai heard the Dhogai say, 'Who stole my habau?' He stayed silently in the branches but the Dhogai looked up and saw the thief with a basket full of habaual. Then the Dhogai said to Gabu Kai Ka 'What are you doing with my haubau? To pay me back you have to throw me down one haubau’. The Dhogai took one step and ate the haubau and said, 'I want another one’. So he threw another down to the Dhogai. The Dhogai took two steps and ate the haubau. The Dhogai wanted another and another until he threw the last haubau as far away as he could. While the Dhogai ran after the haubau Gabu Kai Kai quickly jumped down from the tree and

sprinted to his baethae and rowed as fast as he could back to Kulbaikulbai Island. The Dhogai swam after him but was too slow and returned back to Zurath Island. Gabu Kai Kai arrived back home and told his people about the Dhogai. So they all decided to make a plan to kill the Dhogai and go to Zurath Island the next day. That afternoon they prepared all their weapons for the next morning. Early in the morning they rowed their canoes furiously. When they arrived they went up to the sakai (big caves) and saw the Dhogai sleeping in one of the caves. One of the warriors threw his wap (harpoon) at the Dhogai and speared her left arm. She jumped up and ran out of the cave. They chased her and she tried to bury herself in the ground but the ground was too hard. She then ran down to the beach where the sand was soft and buried herself. They quickly chased her and cut off her right arm and breasts. Gabu Kai Kai and the warriors rowed back to Kulbaikulbai Island and were overjoyed with their performance. The old people told them to throw the breasts and the arm in the sea, but the young boys said, 'No, we'll tie them on the tree and practice spearing them for the afternoon.' Later that afternoon one of the boys took the breasts out into the sea but left the arm on the tree. That evening the Dhogai came while everybody was asleep, searching for her arms and breasts. As she searched among the trees she chanted over and over again: 'Come to me my arm' and finally she found her arm on the tree. She snatched her arm off the tree and placed it back on her shoulder. The booming noise, as she replaced her arm, made the villagers awaken, but she couldn't find her breasts and swam back home to Zurath Island. The next day an old man asked the young boy if he threw the left arm in the sea. He said 'No, only the breasts.' The old man said, 'That is why there was a big noise last night.' The Dhogai came back to take her arm. Today you can see her breasts which turned into a rock between Zurath and Kulbaikulbai Islands. 56

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Dennis Nona Dennis NONA Sesserae (willy wagtail bird) 2005 linocut printed in black ink, kaidaral & handcoloured from one block paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 1220 x 2050 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

Sesserae (Willy Wagtail Bird) The Wakaid clan of Badu Island tell the legend of the Willy Wagtail bird. Every morning at low tide Sesserae, a young man of Tulu, went fishing. Often this was on other people’s traditional fishing grounds. Different family clans set boundary rocks and sometimes, as punishment for Sesserae’s infringement, all his spears were broken. One day Sesserae began fishing in a lagoon and noticed large quantities of seagrass had been eaten. He thought a very large fish must have eaten it or perhaps a whale. In the evening he plucked some takarr matua leaves from a bush and, in the ritual way, rubbed them on the skulls of his ama-du (mother) and his baba-du (father). He lay beside them and prayed that he might discover what animal was visiting the lagoon in a dream. As he drifted to sleep he began to hear a delicate scratching noise, like fingernails clicking, inside the skulls. In this dream he asked his parents, “What is eating the seagrass in the lagoon?” The reply came, “Tomorrow at dawn, when you hear the surrka (bush turkey), go up the small mountain where there is a tableland. You will see a mutluk bird flying around a tree. This is where you will find a wap (harpoon) made from baidam tul wood, an amu (rope) made from cane fibres and six strong poles.” In the dream he was shown how to lash together a nath (fishing platform) from the poles and to erect it where the seagrass was being eaten. “Don’t make a noise and in the afternoon, with the high tide you will see the fish and then spear it.”

Sesserae was awoken at dawn by the surrka bird as foretold in the dream. He travelled to where his parents had told him and got the wap, amu and poles and headed for the lagoon, careful not to be seen by anyone else. He built the nath on the lagoon and waited patiently until high tide. When he saw a large fish move into the lagoon he speared it. The large fish turned out to be a dugong and no one had ever seen this before. Delighted by his marvellous catch he secretly skinned, butchered and cooked it in traditional ways. Roasting the great chunks of meat in a Kupmari ground oven, baking some over hot embers and drying the rest on poles. Over the next weeks he killed many dugong, and cooked them up, careful not to attract attention. But the neighbouring tribespeople became curious about Sesserae’s nath and the wonderful sweet smell of the large quantity of cooking meat. This was soon brought to the attention of the elders and sorcerers of Zaum village who sat together and drew up plans to discover what Sesserae was up to. They decided to construct a dog, where inside a man could hide, to spy on Sesserae. The dog was made out of ewig (bamboo cane) for the bones, coconut fibres for the hair and pigs ribs for the teeth. To test whether their creation was convincing, they sent the dog onto the beach before a flock of seagulls. Even without the dog giving chase, the seagulls squabbled loudly and flew away in fright. The sorcerers were convinced their creation would fool Sesserae and quickly made two more. The three dogs were sent out and they followed Sesserae from behind, straggling, and looking hungry. Sesserae had only enemies and in need of companionship, fed them some small pieces of smoked dugong meat, adopting the dogs as his friends. Later, however, the dogs sneaked away to the sorcerers and informed them of his plentiful supply of meat and

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described the necessary means to catch dugong. Sesserae, pleased with his new friends, made contact with his ancestral spirits to tell them. His spirit parents warned Sesserae that these were not real dogs and that he was in danger. They told him to kill one with an arrow to reveal the person inside. The Zaum’s dogs returned and Sesserae fed them but, this time, he killed one and found that his parents were telling the truth. The other dogs returned to Zaum and reported what had happened. Warriors were summoned to attack Sesserae. The Zaum warrior Manalbau, blew the bu (trumpet conch), gathering his warriors together to attack. Sesserae, trusting his parents’ advice, consulted them again about his difficult situation. He was told to collect white and black clay and to apply it in stripes on his chest, this would turn him into a Willy Wagtail. He was to jump on the warriors’ heads and fly away just before being struck by the warrior’s club. As predicted, the warriors charged Sesserae, but not before he could paint himself with the clay and through chanting and dancing was able to avoid capture by turning into a fast and agile bird. Sesserae landed on

each warrior’s head in turn and, taking the advice of his parents, leapt into the air just before an exacting blow could kill him. The last of the Zaum warriors decided to get help from Upai. Soon the warriors would arrive, but Sesserae began to feel very tired and he consulted his parents again. This time, they told him to do the same routine and fly from one warrior’s head to the next until each was killed – but if he should tire, to seek shelter inside the conch shell. Sesserae was attacked by the Upai warriors and just as his parents predicted, he became tired from the fight and retreated to the conch shell. Instead of the shell protecting him, a warrior smashed his hiding place and Sesserae sought refuge in the bush, never to take human form again. Sesserae continues to elude the people of Badu and remains a flighty, cheeky bird who prefers his selfish ways, not sharing with the other islanders. 57

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Alick Tipoti Alick Tipoti was born on Waiben (Thursday) Island in 1975 and spent his childhood growing up on Badu (Mulgrave) Island. He completed an Associate Diploma of Visual Art from the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE, Cairns in 1995 and a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Printmaking) from the Australian National University, Canberra School of Art in (1998). Tipoti’s highly intricate and marvellously designed linocuts, which demonstrate his maturity and mastery of the linocut technique, acknowledge the continuity and significance of the Torres Strait Island tradition of storytelling. During 1998, Tipoti entered a large linocut print entitled Aralpaia Ar Zenikula (1998) in the 4th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award and won the Lin Onus Youth Art Prize. The artwork is based on a traditional myth from his home island of Badu, and tells the tale of land ownership and hunting on the island within clan boundaries. Tipoti travelled to Cambridge University in 2000, with assistance from the Australia Council for the Arts, to view the exhibition entitled Torres Strait Islanders: An Exhibition Marking the Centenary of the 1898 Cambridge Anthropological Expedition. Greatly inspired by his encounter with traditional cultural items from his ancestors, he began carving out large blocks upon his return to Australia which culminated in a solo exhibition at Cairns Regional Gallery entitled Lagaw Adthil (2001) or Island Legends, after translation.

Alick Tipoti. Photo: Russell Milledge

A number of Tipoti’s prints feature events from the past, when fighting was glorified and warriors enjoyed the esteem of their people. Forceful images of headhunting, skulls, dhoeri headdresses, drums, ritual dancing and ceremony are featured. The stylisation of forms and narrative undertones in Tipoti’s work suggest similarities with wooden story-boards of Papua New Guinea. Alick Tipoti is currently based on Thursday Island where he is the principal lecturer in the Visual Arts Department at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE, Thursday Island campus. 59

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Alick Tipoti

Alick TIPOTI

Wadith, zigin ar kusikus

2005 linocut printed in black ink from one block Paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 1020 x 2000 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

Wadth, Zigin Ar Kusikus Dthuwal and his Sons Long ago a man named Dthuwal lived on a small beach north of Mainab1, which came to be called Dthuwal Buthu. Dthuwal was a very skilled hunter. He had a great knowledge and understanding of the weather patterns, tides and gardening. He had three sons. Wadth was the eldest, who grew up to be an expert hunter out at sea. Zigin turned out to be a song composer and mastered the art of tuning the warup. Kusikus, who was later to be called Pasuwa, was the youngest brother and grew up to be a craftsman. Initiation Preparation When the three brothers reached manhood, their father had decided that the time had come for them to be initiated as men. He invited a man called Meseku2 the witchdoctor who lived at

Dthug Ngur3, a place near Sarupau Pad4 on the north side of the island. Three days before their initiation ceremony Wadth, Zigin and Kusikus were told to rub sai (mud) from the nearby mangroves all over their body and were not to wash it off until their appointment with Meseku. All three of them were to eat and sleep in small zarazar (grass hut) specifically built for this occasion. Kusikus Escapes It was during this time when Kusikus decided to escape from the preparations. He disobeyed his father’s orders and on the very first night he ran away, washed himself in the sea, and set off along the beach towards Upai Wak5. 1 Mainab is on the south-east side on Badu 2 Meseku was a Zugub from Mabuiag 3 Dthug Ngur is on the north side of Badu 4 Sarupau Pad is right next to Dthug Ngur 5 Upai Wak is to the west of Dthuwal Buthu 6 Male Turtle are known to attack and engage with people when diving to catch solal

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Kusikus’s Journey Kusikus walked till he came to a place called Waru Wak. By this time it was daybreak. At Waru Wak he walked on the edge of the reef and saw a trail of Kabar (trochus shell). He jumped in the sea and collected enough to carry in his hands. As he was surfacing, he was grabbed from behind by a dthubur6 (male turtle) trying to mate with him. He struggled to escape dropping all of the trochus holding onto only two. In desperation to survive he used the sharp ends of the shells to stab the dthubur in the eyes and killed it. He pulled the dead dthubur ashore, cut it and cooked him some pagasiew madthu (shoulder meat) and some thupai (fat). After he ate he called some spirits to help him to create a mask from the carapace of the turtle. He cut the sharp ends of the trochus shells and used them for the eyes molding it with some wam (bees wax). He continued on his journey, carrying his mask, untill he came to a place called Goeragu Wak a spot not far from Mekayna Kosar. While he walked along the beach, he saw a kaigas (shovel-nose shark). He caught it and

removed the intestines and added the whole shark to his mask. He then hung his mask on a tree not far from the beach. By now it was late in the afternoon and the tide was very low when he arrived at Moerarai Koesa. So he walked out to the edge of the reef and there he saw a warukazi (small turtle). He jumped head first into the sea in pursuit of the warukazi. When he grabbed the warukazi, he found himself wrapped with large tentacles of a markai sugu (devil octopus). Kusikus thought he would never see the sunset again as he was taken to the bottom of the sea. He called for spirits to help him escape. He reached for a mazaupat (sharp stag coral), breaking off a small branch, and stabbed the sugu in the head inflicting a large gash. The sugu spit Kusikus to the surface of the water. Despite wrestling with the sugu, Kusikus never let go of his warukazi. As the sugu swam away it spoke to Kusikus in these words; “Boo boo sesew malu sugu – bu bu markai sugu.” 61

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Alick Tipoti Kusikus continued his journey till he came to a place called Yaza. From the beach he saw a maidthalaig (witchdoctor/ sorcerer) on the hillside of Yazau Pad practicing his magic and mixing some bush medicine. Kusikus tried to disguise himself in the bushes thinking that he was not seen. The maidthalaig knew he was being watched and pretended not to notice the presence of a stranger. The maidthalaig could not concentrate on practicing his spell, and was furious at Kusikus for watching him, so he decided to use the spell against Kusikus.

These were the three creatures that tried to take his son away from the spirit of the earth. Dthuwal discovered that each time these three spirited creatures fought with his son, they weakened Kusikus’s spirits causing him to become vulnerable.

Dthuwal Searches For Kusikus

Thabuthir

Back at Dthuwal Buthu, Dthuwal had learnt of his youngest son’s disloyal act, he was furious and decided to search for his son. He asked his forefathers spirits to guide in tracking down his son. He discovered his son’s muykup (fireplace) at Waru Wak and was notified of what happened by the spirits. His next clue was the mask he saw hanging on a tree at Goergu Wak. He spoke in these words to the spirits.

Zigin had a pet snake that he called Thabuthir8. Every day he would feed Thabuthir with birds and lizards. Thabuthir had the shape of a leaf on its head.

“Kusikus ngau kazi – Kusikus kuthinal kazi.” Kusikus’s Death Early in the evening Kusikus rested at Bubul Nguki. He made a dagul (fish spear) and was planning eating fish the next day. That same night the maidthalaig placed thorns from a thupmul (file rays) tail rubbed with poisonous paste along a row of dthamu (sea grass) on a small patch of surum (grassy sand cay). He then used his powers to guide Kusikus towards his trap. Before daybreak Kusikus woke up and set out to the reef. He came to this gangar (rock coral) where he saw Sesew the markai sugu. He stretched out his dagul and threw it straight at Sesew. Before the dagul could reach Sesew, a large fish jumped out of the sea and snapped the dagul in half. At this very moment Kusikus stood on the thorns placed by the maidthalaig who was watching from the bushes in the hills. By now Dthuwal had reached Bubul Nguki and could see his son falling backwards over the edge of the reef. He ran towards Kusikus. On arrival, he discovered that his son had fallen into a giant pasuwa (clam shell). Dthuwal called out; “Kusikus ngau kazi – mika ngi kedtha pudthi – ai ai ai ai pasuwa” The Pasuwa swallowed Kusikus cutting his head off and spitting it back on to the dry bed of the reef. Dthuwal grabbed Kusikus head and held it next to his chest. From that moment on he referred to his son as Pasuwa7. “Pa-su-wa: – Pa: Pasuwa, Su: Sugu, Wa: Waru”

When Dthuwal returned home, he placed his son’s head on a small sara and smoked it sending his spirits to be with his ancestors in the sky. Later he took the head and buried it near his zarazar.

Initiation At Dthuwal Buthu, it was nearly time for the initiation ceremony to take place. Meseku had collected some itip (a plant with long leaves with a thorn on the end). He prepared a muykup (fireplace) using goeragarr watharr to make the fire. Dthuwal called on Wadth and Zigin to go to Meseku. They crawled towards the burning fire9. Meseku held itipal in the midst of the thick smoke and whipped the young men’s back creating scars of manhood. This action went on till midnight. Meseku sang a chant10, appointing three spirits for each of them to guide and help these two brothers for the rest of their lives. The scars11 would heal in time and would indicate to other people of neighbouring villages that they have special powers and spirits as guards. Wadth and Zigin Many years had passed and Dthuwal died of old age. This was when Dthuwal’s place was soon to be called Dthuwal Buthu. Wadth and Zigin continued to live a little to the north of Dthuwal Buthu. Often they would go out in their canoe and catch turtles. Years later, after many trips, Zigin became tired of going out to sea with his older brother. He would complain about getting wet and having sore eyes from the salty splashes of the sea. Zigin and the Spirits Zigin refused to go out with his brother anymore, instead he would sit up all night beating his warup (drum) composing chants and 7 The word Pasuwa was broken down to three different abbreviations: (Pa-Su-Wa); Pa:Pasuwa, Su:Sugu, Wa:Waru. 8 Thabuthir was said to have come from Sabai Island 9 Men being initiated were not to look into their initiators eye’s 10 Dad could not remember the words of this chant sung to him in ancient language by athe Au 11 These scars are called - ‘koey walaizi wam’.

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singing with many spirits. He became so obsessed with the spirits when the moon was full he would make them dance all night. Every night Wadth would notice flying foxes circling above his brother’s house and could hear the different voices singing ancient chants. Wadth moved further north of Zigin’s zarazar because all the chanting and the beating of the drum kept him awake till morning. Solal During the solal (mating turtle) season (towards the month of November) Wadth would continue to hunt and catch many fat turtles. There was always a row of turtles, lying on their back, in front of Wadth’s house. Wadth became a great champion12 at spearing and catching turtles. Whenever he would feel like eating turtle, he would cut one up and cook it in an earth oven or just roast it on an open fire. He would also share with his younger brother whom by now had started to depend on Wadth for food from the sea. The sharing continued for a long time. It came to a point when Wadth started to find it difficult and frustrating doing all the hard work, himself, for the both of them. Whenever Wadth would ask Zigin to accompany him out to sea he would always refuse – saying that he was tired from beating his drum all night. Wadth decided that he would no longer provide the best parts of the turtle for his brother. So when he decided to butcher another one of his catch he only gave his brother some mukuy madthu (pelvis meat) and katal madthu (neck meat). Zigin received no thupai (fat) from his brother. Zigin’s Jealousy On receiving his share of turtle, Zigin asked himself, “Ina mika kedtha ngau tukuyapan ngaika kedtha ngapa watti madthul kusumnu?” (Why did my brother bring me bad meat?) Zigin was very furious. He decided to use his special powers with the help of his spirits to prevent all the solal from reaching his brother Wadth. I will turn usalai13 away from him. “Ngath nungungu usalai adthaka thaiyaik.” I will make hunting even more difficult for Wadth. He will catch nothing.

12 Wadth was always referred to as ‘malu mina geth mabaig’

The following day he gathered branches from a special tree and set foot out on the reef. He stood at Kabar Gizu pretending to feed the fish but at the same time throwing magic powers into the sea trying to guide passing solal away from his brother who was in sight just a little to the north. He would also jump into the sea and make splashes to chase away the nearing solal. Wadth wondered what his brother was doing as he was preparing himself for a pair of solal nearing towards him. “Tukuyap ngau midthmika – ina ngai kedtha anapin.” Soon Wadth speared a solal and was pulling it up the beach where he lived. Seeing this, Zigin immediately took hold of his wap and amu with some kuyur14 and prepared himself hoping for the next pair of solal to pass by. He stood out on the reef, facing west, singing. He sang all day, trying to use his magical powers, but had no luck. Zigin returned home at dark empty handed. The moon sat high, shinning brightly, exposing the row of turtles on their back in front of Wadth’s house. At night when singing, Zigin would ask the Kisai Maril (spirits of the moon) to drain the thupai from the turtles and kill his brother’s catch15. The very next day Wadth woke up to find all his solal weak and on the verge of dying. His spirits told him of Zigin’s jealous act to make the Kisai Maril take away the thupai from his turtles. From that moment onwards, Wadth covered the solal he caught with mats. He continued to hunt, and spear turtles, for many years. One day when he cut a solal on the beach, he allowed the waves to wash the eggs ashore as they turned to stones. “Wadthan lag – ina Wadthan wöeybadth.” (This is Wadth’s place – Wadth’s turtle eggs.) Zigin, on the other hand, stood out on the reef – out from Kabar Gizu many times with no success. He would fall asleep at times standing on the edge of the reef. Zigin died of starvation one day. He turned to stone waiting for a pair of solal. The rock marks the spot where Zigin stood for all those days. Wadth lived to be an old man providing his catch to many villages on Badu. Many years later he was introduced to the use of Nath through one of the villages on the North side of the island. Acknowledgment and respect to my late father Leniaso Tipoti (Argan Besai) who had taken time to retell and record these adthil of our ancestors.

13 Usalai – current flowing from east to west 14 Wap – harpoon, amu – rope, kuyur – darts to fit on the end of the wap. 15 As a result from Zigin actions and belief, Torres Strait Islanders never expose their turtles to the moon 63

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Alick Tipoti

Alick TIPOTI

Koedal kazil garr yatharmik (crocodile protecting its young)

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block Paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 360 x 2200 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

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Koedal Kazil Garr Yatharmik (Crocodile protecting its young) Garr Yatharamik is an ancient yet important phrase in my language. It literally means ‘tying it close to the body’. In other words, to ‘protect’. As people of Zenadh-Kes, we were instructed and taught in the cultural ways and protocols that our forefathers inherited from those who came before them. These were especially directed towards the land and the sea. I have chosen the Koedal (crocodile) as the main component of this print. This is because it is of the dinosaur age and as a totem, it represents the ancient laws of my forefathers.

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Alick Tipoti

Alick TIPOTI

Zugubal (spiritual beings with special powers) 2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 810 x 2000 mm edition size: 35 publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

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Zugubal Zugubal is plural for Zugub. The Zugubal in western Zenadh-Kes looked like humans while they inhabited the island world, but they were super human in their strength and deeds. They have the ability to transform into anything of any shape or form in the natural world. They possess powers, which enable them to summon thunder, lightning, wind and rain, and they can control the moods of the sea to suit themselves. In this print I have depicted a group of Zugubal, navigating by the stars of their ancestors. Above the travellers, the star constellation shows the movement of the great Zugub leaders, Thagai and Kang. The Southern Cross is the left hand of Thagai holding the spears. Corvus is the right hand of Thagai. Scorpio is the canoe and part of this constellation is where his brother Kang sits.

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L - R: Alick Tipoti, Dennis Nona, David Bosun, Billy Missi and Theo Tremblay inking up a lino block at KickArts 2007. photo: David Campbell

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Tracking Linocerous Theo Tremblay

Through the physical activity of carving and engraving, contemporary Zenadh-Kes printmakers are in touch with their traditional past. The domain of men, carving was practised using sharpened stone, shell and later metal implements on turtle shell, wood and ivory. Intricate patterns were handed down from father to son, their application on boats in particular attracted good spirits, while deflecting the bad. These printmakers, at the completion of a linocut and prior to pulling the very first print, pray aloud to invoke spirits and ancestors to endeavour safe passage on deadly seas, while hunting dugong, navigating uncertain coral reefs or marshalling warriors for battle campaigns.

Before Time to Machine Time Islander printmakers of the hundred or so islands where the Coral and Arafura Seas meet are allied to a carving tradition that predates colonisation. Contemporary Torres Strait Islander artists have been experimenting and developing printmaking as a means of expression since the mid 1980s. This has been largely due to the efforts of Anna Eglitis, former teacher of the Printmaking Department, Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Tropical North Queensland Institute of Technical And Further Education (TNQITAFE), Cairns, which since 1997, is known to most as the Banggu Minjaany Art & Culture Centre. Anna’s passion for printmaking impressed many of her students enrolled in the Vocational Certificate of the Arts and from 1986, Associate Diploma, Diploma, and Advanced Diploma art courses.

“The natural carving ability of the Torres Strait Islander students has led them to cut increasingly intricate designs in the medium of linocut and the resulting prints on paper have created intense interest in art circles in Australia.”1 With these artists Anna introduced the unique innovation of fusing black and white linocut with the hand colouring techniques usually associated with monoprinting. The result was sensational and heralded a significant signature style for the Zenadh-Kes printmaking movement. It was possible to create exciting, and sometimes unpredictable colours without the encumbering mechanics of paper and matrix registration, multi-block alignment and endless proofing to develop a desirable image. Here was a straightforward and simple extension of black and white linocut printing, elevating the process to a higher level of technical finish, informing a new aesthetic which had an influence on other media such as batik, etching and even bronze casting. The tactile quality of carving into the soft linoleum allied with the endless flirtation with colourful pigment produced a delightful and surprising result. This technique inspires the students now as it did when it was first introduced twenty years ago. Once spoken of as ‘dob-inking’ and ‘a la poupeé’ the technique of adding colour over black shapes of the block by re-inking and hand pressing the print, while the paper

Anna Eglitis, Ilan Pasin, Cairns Regional Gallery, 1998 73

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Tracking Linocerous Theo Tremblay

is still registered under weights, has been named by Torres Strait Islanders as ‘Kaideral’ – a term literally meaning ‘glistening waves’, as explained by leading Torres Strait Islander printmaker David Bosun. “Like the sea whipped up by the wind in the distance, or turbulence in dangerously shallow coral seas. The glistening water is a mariner’s sign for caution – a weather or water current change.” The glistening peaks of brightly coloured ink are a delightful contrast against the otherwise flat black printing ink. Against other media on offer including screenprint, intaglio and lithography, the portability, simplicity of printing, and tactile methods of the linocut seemed to win over the most support. In addition, linoleum, once it has been carved and employed as a matrix to produce the final print, remains as a highly crafted object attracting its own interest from institutional collections. Notable Torres Strait Islander graduates from TNQITAFE include Tatapai Barsa, Anne Gela, Andrew Williams, Ben Hodges, Harry Nona, Laurie Nona, Dennis Nona, Alick Tipoti, Glen Mackie, David Bosun and Brian Robinson. In 1992 the exhibition New Tracks Old Land: Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia launched in Boston, Massachusetts, toured the USA for five years

and was the first ever survey of Australian indigenous printmaking. A duplicate exhibition was launched in 1995 to tour Australia. Amongst the Zenadh-Kes artists who gained enormous recognition from this exhibition were graduates Andrew Williams, Anne Gela and Dennis Nona. In a short space of time, major galleries began collecting the uniquely Far North Queensland prints, including the National Gallery of Australia, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Leading the Way – Nona and Tipoti Badu Island artist Dennis Nona attended the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE art school in Cairns from 1987 to 1990 and showed a particular fondness for printmaking. Disillusioned with the onedimensional imagery of Islander art other students were creating, he experimented with greater depths of story telling, using his own variation of shark-tooth patterning. This he created by first cutting fine parallel lines, then infilling with alternating V-shaped incisions, creating a continuous optically vibrant patterning. Nona’s career really began to take off when he became the first Torres Strait Islander student to attend Canberra School of Art at the Australian National University, experimenting in different media including screenprint, etching, lithography and photography. He soon influenced other Islander artists notably Alick Tipoti and Tali Emberson. Where Dennis’s art was stylistically restrained in its characterisation of patterns and iconic forms, Alick’s imagery, on the other hand, showed highly intricate images of overtly masculine

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L - R Renea Stevens, Dennis Nona, Diana Kershaw, Janette Laver, BIlly Missi, Eliza Tee, Rae O’Connell and Theo Tremblay. The first proof of Dennis Nona’s linocut ‘Yawarr’ 1200 x 6000mm at KickArts, 2007. Photo: David Campbell

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Tracking Linocerous Theo Tremblay

figures not unlike those depicted on classical black silhouette-style Greek vases. Alick evolved into a highly competitive and outgoing student, producing images of greater size and a distinctive sense of showmanship earning him academic distinctions. He secured the Lin Onus Youth Award in 1998 at the National Heritage Art Award in Canberra with his massive 77cm x 112cm linocut Aralpaia Ar Zenikula. In 2003 he won the works on paper category of the 20th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in Darwin with the linocut Kuiyk ar Mari - Head and Spirit (Reincarnation) a story recorded from his father Leniaso Tipoti originating from Badu Island.

Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective Following a period of extended commercial fishing and, alternately experimenting with other media, Dennis Nona was employed by Kubin Community Council on Moa Island, the largest of the Torres Strait Islands, to organise a printmaking workshop through the Community Development Employment Program. Under the auspices of Kubin Community Council it was now possible to collectively manage the ordering and freighting of art materials and to successfully manage sales. As the first invited artist-in-residence I had the fortune of working at Kubin in a vacant storage shed near the pier that served as the first of three studios that would be occupied over the next seven years. The spectacle of the tropical skies and turquoise seas is unforgettable. Dennis, living at Badu

Island, only a few kilometres away, would commute to work by dinghy, often taking ‘the boys’ fishing as a reward. Fishing from the pier was a great pastime. On one occasion, we hooked a massive tiger shark and Dennis insisted it be landed. The shark gave fight and the hook shot back, embedding itself in my wrist! One of the most important links for marketing the prints was made with the Australian Art Print Network, a Sydney-based distributor through agent and entrepreneur Adrian Newstead. With this support it was then possible to get on with the business of teaching and making art without the cumbersome job of retailing. Through resources provided by the Torres Strait Regional Authority, Australian Art Print Network and No Fixed Press, a plan was implemented to establish a permanent printmaking workshop in the village. Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective, literally Moa Island Culture House was established in the year 2000. A second building, a house near the crocodile infested mangrove swamps, was obtained. Small, and cluttered, it would serve for another five years before the collective would have its very own designated studio, the recycled Island Board of Industry and Service (IBIS) community store in the main street which opened in 2006. Through the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective, artists Billy Missi, Dennis Nona, Victor Motlop and David Bosun have developed and refined their art practice. Gelam Nguzu Kazi – Dugong My Son was the first touring exhibition of limited edition linocuts by the artists of the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective. The exhibition was organised for the Kubin Community

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Council by the Australian Art Print Network and curated by Adrian Newstead. The exhibition toured Australia from 2001 to 2003 and has since been touring internationally. In 2002, the artists travelled to Bungendore, New South Wales to work at No Fixed Press, featuring my large hydraulic platen press. This enabled Billy Missi, David Bosun and Dennis Nona to work on a large format collaborative linocut, second only in size to Arone Meeks’s astounding 1.7 metre linocut ‘Celebration’ commissioned by Cairns Regional Gallery and printed the year before. Dennis Nona’s linocuts Malu Lag A Dapar and Bia were also taken into a second colour state during this workshop. While near Canberra, the artists attended the launch of the National Gallery of Australia’s blockbuster exhibition Islands In The Sun, featuring prints by Indigenous artists throughout the Pacific, including their own. After the establishment of the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective, Dennis enrolled at Griffith University to further his knowledge of printmaking and continue to express Badu Island stories in his work. Experiments in etching earned him the Angel Orensanz International Art Award (USA/Japan) and further forays into etching, working with master printer Basil Hall at Northern Editions in Darwin. Alick Tipoti, having completed his Bachelors Degree in Fine Art at the Australian National University, proceeded to undertake studies in Education at James Cook University in Townsville and Cairns. Returning to Horn Island after nearly 10 years away, he established a small studio and taught

Indigenous Cultural Arts at Thursday Island TAFE. Spurred on by the power of Dennis Nona’s newest works, Alick began making large prints and has recently produced seven outstanding large linocuts and a suite of smaller prints. This latest body of work will be presented in a series of solo exhibitions. In 2003 No Fixed Press relocated to Cairns. Using facilities and space provided by KickArts Contemporary Arts, it was possible to continue making larger and more ambitious prints. Nona’s Awai Thituiyil and Sesserae (2005) were both first printed at KickArts, along with Baidam, Ara and Dhogai Zug (2006). In response, Alick Tipoti went big with Wadth Zigin Ar Kusikus (2005), Zugubal, Gubau Aimai Mabaigal and Koedal Kazil Garr Yatharmik (2006). Billy Missi and David Bosun have also expanded their work into progressively larger works, realising a better outcome for their effort, without having to do all the printing themselves. In this way, the artist/ carver is separated from the risks and day-to-day production line of printing. What began only a few years ago as a group experiment has developed at KickArts as a movement in large prints. At a Torres Strait Islander Print symposium convened by the Australian Art Print Network at KickArts in 2007, the spectacular ‘linocerous’ entitled Yawarr by Dennis Nona measuring 1200 x 6000mm was printed, with Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective artists Dennis Nona, Billy Missi, David Bosun and Alick Tipoti assisting. Additional hands included Renae Stevens, Janette Laver, Rae O’Connell, Russell Milledge, Beverley Mitchell, Di Kershaw, Eliza Tee and myself. 77

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Tracking Linocerous Theo Tremblay

Conclusion Linocut has proven to be a direct response to culture, using methods that have ancient roots. In an Australian Indigenous context, the art form is unique to Kala Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mer groups of Zenadh-Kes. Other forms of printmaking such as etching, lithography and screenprinting offer the artist possibilities not fully exploited, particularly amongst female artists who are perhaps challenged by a traditionally male-dominated attitude to carving. It is hoped the work produced to this point in time will inspire a new generation of youth to explore and develop new ways of expressing culture and the world around them. Cairns and the KickArts printmaking studio are ideally located as a central compass point to engage with artists living in the remote areas of Far North Queensland and other regions of Northern Australia. At this centre for innovation and excellence in fine art printmaking Zenadh-Kes artists have the opportunity to be supported with advice and expert attention to printing needs. KickArts is a catchment for artists travelling through the region. By sponsoring workshops, symposia and other resources, a higher level of participation and partnership is attainable with the many regional art centres of Northern Australia. My vision for the future is that artists throughout the Pacific and its many nations continue to expand with many forms of contemporary media while retaining a strong cultural identity and direction. 78

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Arone MEEKS, Celebration 2001 linocut hand-coloured 1190 x 1700mm

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Alick Tipoti

Alick TIPOTI

Warul ar bidhiyal (turtles & squids)

2006 linocut printed in black ink from one block Edition size: 35 paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM matrix size: 900 x 1906 mm publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Theo Tremblay

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Warul Ar Bidhiyal In this image turtles, squid and little fish inhabit the coral reef. The turtles are eating squid while simultaneously the squid feed on the little fish. The squid and fish are disguised in the pattern. In the water the little fish are hard to see with the naked eye. There are two areas of repeated pattern – this represents the squid squirting inky fluid.

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Alick Tipoti

Alick TIPOTI

Gabau aimai mabaigal (wind makers season) 2006 Linocut printed in black ink from one block paper: Hahnemüle 350 GSM edition size: 50 matrix Size: 810 x 3005 mm publisher: Australian Art Print Network printer: Alick Tipoti / Theo Tremblay

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Gabau Aimai Mabaigal (Wind Makers Season) ‘Wind Makers’ in the Maluiligal Zenadh-Kes language, the Zugubal create and control the four winds that clear the airways of the islands. This image depicts the annual seasonal calendar of the Maluiligal – ‘my people.’ The artist has transposed into visual form text by Sydney H Ray, who wrote stories gathered from the Alfred Cort Haddon anthropological expedition in 1898 at Mabuiag Island. The authors Anna Shnukel and Rod Mitchell have also prepared stories from the pre-1939 notebooks of Koey Athe Peter Eselies. The small circles along the bottom border of this image represent the twelve Kisai/Moelpal (moons/months) of the year. All the different symbols along the image are placed to show their active moments within a timeline which is called Wiath (year), and the four great Zugubal control the four different seasons/winds of the island world. The ancestors identified these winds as: Kuki (northwesterly winds), Wour/Sager (southeasterly winds), Naigai (northeasterly winds), Zay (southwesterly winds).

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Curricula Vitae

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Joey Laifoo Born 1978 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya Country: Badu/Saibai (Mulgrave), Mabuiag (Jervis) and Waiben (Thursday) Totem: Thupmul (Stingray), Thubu (Snake), Kadahl (Crocodile), Kurs (Hammerhead Shark) Awards 1st Prize Hockey Art Competition, Queensland Hockey Select Group Exhibitions 1997 ‘Local Colour’ Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns 2001 NAIDOC Week Cairns Oasis Hotel 2001 ‘Dana Me’ (Come Out) South Bank, Brisbane 2001 ‘Gatherings’, Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane QLD 2001 ‘Two Ends Meet’, Cairns Regional Gallery 2002 ‘Maiem Sewngapu Algenda to the Torres Strait’, Townsville 2002 Shell Fremantle Print Award, Perth 2002 Ergon Energy Central Queensland Art Award, Rockhampton 2002 NAIDOC Week Cairns City Council 2002 Northern Frontier ‘Within Us’, Cairns Regional Gallery 2003 Inaugural Hockey Art Competition, Queensland Hockey 2003 FNQ & Torres Strait Islands Artworks, Brisbane 2003 Art Exhibition Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth WA 2003 ‘BANGGU MINJAANY’ 20 Years of Contemporary Indigenous Visual Art, Cairns Regional Gallery 2003–04, the Great Art exhibition, Dusseldorf, Germany 2004 ‘Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Art from Queensland, Australia’ Washington USA 2004 ‘NAIDOC Art Exhibition 2004’, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Qld 2006 ‘Unreal Shields’, Banggu Minjanny Arts & Cultural Centre Gallery, Tropical North Queensland TAFE, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns Qld 2006 ‘Gatherings II’ KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns Collections KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection Cairns Regional Gallery

Billy Missi Born 1970 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya Tribe: Wagedagam, Gumu, Panai Country: Mabuiag (Jervis), lives Moa (Banks) Totem: Kodal, Kaigas, Dhanghal Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective Awards 2000 5th National Heritage Art Awards, highly commended 2000 Indigenous Heritage Art Awards, Parliament of Australia & Leichhardt Electorate, academic achievement award 2004 Gelam Nguzu Kazi touring show, Parliament of Australia & Leichhardt Electorate, academic achievement award 2005 Australia Day Award Parliament of Australia & Leichhardt Electorate, achievement award 2005 Australia Day Award, Torres Shire Council for Art & Culture 2006 31st Fremantle Art Awards, Fremantle WA, winner Solo Exhibitions 2004 Urapun Muinu Garasar (Many In One), Gab Titui Cultural

Centre, Thursday Island Selected Group Exhibitions 2000 ‘The Art of Place’, 5th National Heritage Art Award Touring Exhibition 2001 ‘Gatherings’, Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane Qld 2001 ‘Thaigy Minaral’ (Beautiful Patterns), Port Kennedy Hall, Thursday Island 2001 ‘Trackin Kultja’, Australian National Museum, Canberra ACT 2001–07 ‘Gelam Nguzu Kazi’ – Dugong My Son’, National & International Travelling Exhibition 2002–05 ‘Native Title Business’, Australian Touring Exhibition 2002 ‘Zugubau Thithuil’, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne 2002 ‘Silk Cut Award’, Glen Eira City Gallery, Caulfield 2002 ‘Maiam Sewngapa Algeda’, Torres Strait 2003 ‘Showing of #2’, Platform Exhibition Space, Flinders St Station, Melbourne 2003 ‘Art Miami’, USA represented by Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne 2003 ‘Arco’, Madrid, Spain, Represented by Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne 2004 ‘Out of Country’ The Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia USA 2004 ‘Out of Country’, Gallery 1601, Embassy of Australia, Washington DC USA 2005 ‘Top Ten’, Commonwealth Bank, Brisbane Qld 2005 ‘Decade of Collecting 1995–2005’, Cairns Regional Gallery 2006 ‘7th Chamalieres International Triennial of Stamp and Original Engravings’, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Chamalieres. 2006 31st Fremantle Print Award, Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth WA 2006 ‘Gatherings II’, KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns Qld 2007 ‘Maritime Stories’, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Qld Collections ArtBank, Sydney Australian Catholic University Gallery Badu Island State School Cairns Regional Gallery Cambridge University Museum, UK Canberra Office of Torres Strait City of Fremantle, WA D.A.T.S.I.P.D Regional Office, Thursday Island Gordon Darling Collection KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection Museum of Anthropology, Canada National Gallery of Australia Parliament House, Canberra Queensland Art Gallery TAFE of Holmeglen Collection Tony Haurush Collection, New York, USA Torres Strait Regional Authority Victoria and Albert Museum, UK University of British Columbia University of Wollongong

Dennis Nona Born 1973 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya Country: Badu (Mulgrave), lives in Cairns Totem: Tabu Snake (Saibai) and Tupmul (Stingray) Represented: The Australian Art Print Network Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective

Awards Cairns State High School Art Awards, Cairns Cairns State High School Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Award Cairns Electorate Arts Achievement Award, Canberra Machida International Print Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan 2004 4th Angel Orensanz International Art Award, New York USA, winner Griffith University Lions Club Equity Bursery for Excellence in the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art, Brisbane Parliament of Australia & Leichhardt Electorate Arts Achievement Award, Canberra Arts Achievement Award, Canberra 2007 24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, overall winner. Solo Exhibitions 2005–07 Sesserae; The Works of Dennis Nona, Dell Gallery at Queensland College of Art, Brisbane and national tour. 2005 Sesserae and Other Stories, KickArts Contemporary Arts, Centre of Contemporary Arts, Cairns 2005-07 Sesserae; The Works of Dennis Nona, National & International Traveling Exhibition Selected Group Exhibitions 1991 8th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin 1991 Group Show, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney NSW 1992 9th National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 1992-93 New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, touring USA & Australia 1993 Australian Aboriginal Printmakers, Davidson Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA 1994 Malu Urul, National Maritime Museum, Sydney NSW 1994 Machida, International Print Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan 1994 Aboriginal Exhibition, South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide SA 2001–2004 Gelam Nguzu Kazi – Dugong My Son, National & International Travelling Exhibition 2001 Islands in the Sun, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra ACT 2001 18th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin NT 2002–05 Native Title Business, Australian Touring Exhibition 2002 Paipa – Windward, National Museum of Australia, Canberra ACT 2003 Jean MarieTjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa New Caledonia 2003 Beneath the Monsoon - Visions North of Capricorn, Artspace Mackay, CRG, Perc Tucker Gallery 2003 Dream Traces, Brighton University, Brighton, UK 2003 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin 2003 Shell Fremantle Art Award, Fremantle WA 2003 Christchurch Art Gallery/Te Puna O Waiwhetu, Christchurch/ Aotearoa NZ 2004 Christchurch Art Gallery/Te Puna O Waiwhetu, Christchurch/ Aotearoa, New Zealand 2004 21st Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin 2004 Robin O’Chin Memorial Art Award, Brisbane Qld 2004 Shell Fremantle Art Award, Fremantle WA 2005 Shell Fremantle Print Award, 1975 - 2005 2005 22nd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin 2005 ARC Art, Design & Craft Biennial, Brisbane Qld 2005 Busan International Print Art Festival, Busan Korea 91

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Curricula Vitae

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2006 ‘Bangu Yibara: Works from the MCA Collection’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney 2006 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin 2006-07 5th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 2007 24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin Collections Artbank, Sydney Art Gallery of New South Wales Art Gallery of South Australia Australian National Maritime Museum Australian National University Printmaking Collection Ballarat Fine Art Gallery Brighton University, UK British Museum, London UK Cairns Regional Gallery Cambridge University Museum, UK Charles Darwin University Art Collection Flinders University Art Museum Gateway Horn Island Museum Gold Coast City Art Gallery Griffith University Art Collection Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, USA KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection Machida Graphic Arts Museum, Japan Museum d’Art & d’Histoire de la Rochefort, France Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Lyon, France Museum of Contemporary Art National Gallery of Australia National Gallery of Victoria Noosa Regional Gallery OTC Collection, Sydney Parliament House, Canberra Perc Tucker Regional Gallery Queensland Art Gallery Queensland Museum Queensland University of Technology Art Collection University of Wollongong Art Collection Victoria & Albert Museum, UK

Brian Robinson Born 1973 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya of the Maluiligal Country: Waiben (Thursday), lives in Cairns Awards 1997 Professional Development Grant, Museums Australia 1998 New Work Grant, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board Australia Council 1999 Ten Queensland, Young Achiever of the Year for Regional Queensland 1999 Golden Circle Arts Finalist, Young Australian of the Year 2000 2001 Arts and Culture Recognition Award, Cairns Corroboree 2003 Skills and Arts Development Grant, Australia Council for the Arts Solo Exhibition 2000 ‘Malu Girel’, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns 2003 ‘Oceanic Navigator’, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns 2006 ‘Habitus Habitat’, KickArts Contemporary Arts, Centre of Contemporary Arts, Cairns 2008 ‘The Shape of Things’, Banggu Minjaany Arts & Cultural Centre Gallery, Cairns (in development) Select Group Exhibitions 1993 ‘Indigenous Art’, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney 1994 ‘From Papunya to Now’, Berlin, Germany

1995 ‘Pacific Dreams’, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville artist in residence 1996 ‘Ancient Land, Modern Art’, Queensland Art Gallery Collection Touring Exhibition 1996 ‘Our Inspirations’ Honiara, Solomon Islands - Artist in Residence 1996 ‘ATSI International Exhibition,’ Ethnicorner, France 1996 ‘Art Or Artifice’ Torres Strait Exhibition, Noumea, New Caledonia - Artist in Residence 1997 ‘Local Colour’, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns 1997-1998 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award Touring Exhibition 1998 ‘Raiki Wara (Long Cloth)’, National Gallery of Victoria Touring Exhibition 1998 - 2001 ‘Ilan Pasin: Torres Strait Art’, Cairns Regional Gallery Touring Exhibition 2000-01 ‘Future Faces’ portrait exhibition, National Museum of Australia, Canberra 2000–01 ‘Inland Island’, Object Galleries, Sydney 2001 ‘Face of Place’, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns 2001 ‘Goodwill Games Indigenous Art Exhibition’, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane 2001 ‘Gatherings’, Brisbane Convention Centre 2001 ‘Art in Care’ exhibition, Cairns Base Hospital 2000–2003 ‘Islands in the Sun’ touring exhibition, National Gallery of Australia and Cairns Regional Gallery 2004–05 ‘Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Celebrating 20 Years, travelling exhibition 2004 ‘Out of Country’ travelling exhibition – Washington DC, Virginia 2006 ‘Habitus Habitat’ exhibition, Government Office Building, George Street, Brisbane 2006 ‘Gatherings ll’, Gab Tutui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island 2007 ‘Maritime Stories’, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns 2007 ‘Far North Queensland Printmakers’, Baboa Gallery, Brisbane Collections Australian Embassy, Manilla Phillipines Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney NSW Cairns Convention Centre Collection, Cairns Cairns City Council, Cairns Cairns Base Hospital Collection, Cairns Central Queensland University, Rockhampton QLD Contemporary Australian Visions, Melbourne VIC Environmental Protection Agency, Cairns Office Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Brisbane QLD Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea - New Caledonia KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection National Gallery of Australia, Canberra ACT National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne VIC Northern Territory University Collection, Casuarina Campus, Darwin OTC Collection, Australia Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville Qld Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane QLD Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD Queensland Museum, Brisbane QLD The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Virginia

Joel Sam Born 1977 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya of the Sui Baidam Country: Bamaga (originally Saibai) lives in Cairns Totem: Sui Baidam (bird & shark) Select Group Exhibitions 2002 ‘From Cairns to Cape York’, Banggu Minjanny Arts & Cultural Centre Gallery, Tropical North Queensland TAFE, Cairns Qld 2003 Inaugural Hockey Art Competition, Queensland Hockey 2003 ‘Indigenous Walks of Life’, 20th Annual Art Exhibition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Student Group Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery 2004 ‘NAIDOC Art Exhibition 2004’, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Qld 2004 ‘One People Two Rivers Flow’, 21st Annual Art Exhibition

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Student Group Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery 2005 ‘22nd Annual Art Exhibition, Advanced Diploma & Diploma Students, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders Visual Art Program, Cairns Regional Gallery, Tropical North Queensland TAFE, Cairns Qld 2006 ‘Unreal Shields’, Banggu Minjanny Arts & Cultural Centre Gallery, Tropical North Queensland TAFE, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns Qld Collections KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection

Leroy Savage Born 1981 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya Country: Moa (Banks) lives in Cairns Select Group Exhibitions 2002 ‘Northern Frontier, Within Us’, 19th Annual Art Exhibition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Student Group Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery 2003 ‘Indigenous Walks of Life’, 20th Annual Art Exhibition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Student Group Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery 2003 Inaugural Hockey Art Competition, Queensland Hockey 2004 ‘One People Two Rivers Flow’, 21st Annual Art Exhibition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Student Group Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery 2006 ‘Unreal Shields’, Banggu Minjanny Arts & Cultural Centre Gallery, Tropical North Queensland TAFE, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns Qld Collections KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection

Alick Tipoti (Zugub) Born 1975 Language: Kal Lagaw Ya of the Maluiligal (mid western islands) Country: Mabuiag, lives Ngurupai (Horn) Tribe: Argan / Wakaid Totem: Thupmul (stingray - Badu) and Koedal (crocodile - Mabuiag) Represented: The Australian Art Print Network Awards 1998 Linus Onu Youth Prize, 4th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award 1998, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra 2001 26th Shell Fremantle Printmaking Award 2003 20th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, work on paper 2007 24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, work on paper Solo Exhibitions 2006 Gab Titui Cultural Centre and Art Gallery, Thursday Island Selected Group Exhibitions 1998 ‘Ilan Pasin (This is our way), Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns Qld 1998 ‘Wake Naima’ (Creating Together), Jean Marie Tjibau Cultural Centre, Noumea New Caledonia 2000 ‘Lagaw Adthil’, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns Qld 2000 ‘Island In The Sun’, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns Qld 2000 ‘Fortitude’, Queensland Art Gallery, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane Qld 2000 ‘Inheriting Culture’, Hogarth Art Gallery, Sydney NSW 2001 ‘26th Annual Shell Fremantle Print Award’, Fremantle WA 2003 20th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Darwin NT 93

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Curricula Vitae

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2003 ‘Grosse Kunstausstellung’, Museum Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf, Germany 2004 9th Pacific Arts Festival, National Museum of Palau, Washington DC, USA 2004 ‘Out Of Country’, Kluge Ruhe Gallery, University of Virginia, USA 2006 ‘Gatherings II’ KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns Collections ATSIC, Canberra Cairns Regional Gallery Cambridge University/Museum, UK Canberra School of Art, Australian National University Gold Coast City Art Gallery Griffith University Brisbane Jean Marie Tjibau Cultural Centre, New Caledonia KickArts Contemporary Arts Collection Kluge Ruhe Gallery, University of Virginia, USA Melbourne City Art Council Museum of Northern Territory National Gallery of Australia National Museum of Australia National Museum of Palau Queensland University of Technology Torres Strait Regional Authority

Theo Tremblay

1952 Born, Cambridge Massachusetts, USA 1977 Emigrated to Australia Formal Studies 2007 Certificate IV, Workplace Training and Assessment, BSB, TAA 1991–94 MFA, College of Fine Arts, University of NSW, Australia 1979–81 Diploma / Art & Design, (Printmaking) Prahran College of Advanced Ed. 1976–77 Printmaking, Drawing & Painting Studies, Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford, UK. 1970–74 BFA, Boston Museum School & Tufts University, USA Recent Employment 2003–07 Visual Arts/Printmaking Teacher, Tropical North Queensland TAFE 1992–07 Editions Tremblay NFP, Master Printmaker, specialising in collaborative prints by Indigenous artists Residential printmaking workshops taught from 1981-2006 including VIC: Australian Print Workshop 1981, Frankston, 1979, NT: Nguiu 1989, Yirrkala 1989, Ramingining 1991,95, 97 Milingimbi 1999, Darwin 1989, Purlingimpi 1989,91,94, 96, Delmore Downs 1994, Amata & Ernabella 1989,99. WA: Kalumburu, Balgo Hills, Warmun (Turkey Creek). QLD: Lockhart River 1996,97,99, Mer Is 2002, Pormuraaw 2006, Kubin (Moa Is) 1999, 00, 01 Thursday Island 2002, Cairns, Hopevale, 2004,05 Kowanyama, 2003,04 Yarrabah, Mareeba. NSW/ACT: Canberra 1984, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91 Coonamble 2005, COFA, UWS, 1993, Wagga Wagga 1982,84. TAS: Hobart 1998. THAILAND: Ban Shien H’mong Village 1992. Portland,Oregon & Boston Mass USA 1994. Solo Exhibitions 2002 The Journey, collaborative installation and drawings with Waramungga artist John Johnson, Weereewa Festival, Bungendore. Ground Zero: Earthworks, collaborative environmental installation with sound artist Justin Reid and Poets Michael Denholm and Johnno Johnson. Canberra National Sculpture Forum, Nolan Gallery, ACT. Excavation at Site Such, Installation and Drawings, Spiral Arm Gallery, Canberra ACT. Between You and Me, (lithographs), Pinmalla Art Hall, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. Deep Water, Prints & Cast

Paper Works, Nth Sydney Contemporary Art Gallery, Ben Grady Gallery, ACT, Meatmarket Craft Centre, VIC. Selected Group Exhibitions 2003 Site and Soul, Canberra Museum and Art Gallery. Selected Invitational Exhibitions 2005 Home Front, KickArts, collaborated with Kevin Edmondstone. 2004 World & Cultural Heritage, 8th International Show & Artists Forum, KickArts Contemporary Arts. 2000 Printed Proof, Studio One printers’ proofs. Canberra Contemporary Art Space. Art of Place, 5th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra. The Journey, a collaborative installation with John Johnson. Save the Queen, performance/masks, Canberra Contemporary Art Space. Borderlines, Sydney/Canberra exchange exhibition, Studio One and Sydney. Printmakers’ Group, Spiral Arm Gallery and Tin Sheds, Sydney University. Ground Zero: Earthwords, collaborative environmental installation with musician Justin Reid, poets Michael Denholm and Johnno Johnson. Canberra National Sculpture Forum, Nolan Gallery, ACT. Commissions 2005 Megalo Print Workshop ‘Citation to Colin’, 25/25, 25th year celebration 2003 Megalo Print Workshop Ginninderra Backburn, lithograph, Site & Soul folio. National Archives of Australia, design for calligraphic poster. 12 screenprints by Oenpelli artists, Aboriginal Art Print Network. Yilpinji - Love/Magic/Ceremony, Desert Artists in Print, with Basil Hall Editions and the Aboriginal Art Print Network, Sydney. Museé Anthropologie et Beaux Arts, Geneva Switzerland, 15 etchings by Aboriginal Artists in collaboration with Swiss artist Claude Presset. RSPCA, collaborative print with Stephen Holland, Australian War Memorial. Percussed, Weereewa Festival, Percussion sculptures from junk, workshops with youth, collaboration with John Jones, Country Art Support Program grant. 2001 Yarrowlumla Long Time, Shortis & Simpson, Sets & Designs Selected Reviews and Publications T. Tremblay Unreal Shields – North Queensland Artists Etchings with Attitude, June 2006 Grishin, S. Canberra Times, Prints Hold Court, 21/7/04 Stockdill, J., Weereewa Woodcuts II, review, Muse monthly, Canberra, February, 2003 Barney, J. (Ed.) cat. Printer’s Proof, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, June 2000 Hall, B., Aboriginal Printmaking, Artlink, May 2000 Tremblay, T., Original Prints and Collaboration, Art Trade magazine, May 2000

1980 Hairdressing & Cosmetology TAFE SA Selected Projects – Managed and Curated 2007 Ailan Currents – KickArts exhibition 2007 Solitary Lesion – Euan Macleod KickArts exhibition 2007 Looking Forward Looking Blak – Celebrating 50 years NAIDOC 2007 Painting Up Country – KickArts exhibition 2006 Now Time – Arone Meeks – KickArts exhibition 2006 Gatherings – KickArts exhibition 2006 Lone Guinea Fowl – Zane Saunders – KickArts exhibition 2005 Art Land - Edward Koumans – KickArts exhibition 2005 New Tapa – Sam Topou – KickArts exhibition 2004 FNQ Souvenir, KickArts touring exhibition 2004 Sentinel – Geoff Dixon – KickArts exhibition 2002–04 Establishment of the Centre of Contemporary Arts – Cairns 2003 Showing Off #2 Torres Strait Islander Artists 2002 Showing Off #1 Torres Strait Islander Artists 2002–03 Cityport North – Public Art project 2001–03 New Mapoon Council Chambers – Public Art project 2001–03 Mapoon Council Chambers – Public Art project 2001–03 William McCormack Building -Cairns – Public Art project 2001–02 Shields Street Upgrade – Public Art project 2001–02 Pormpuraaw Community Justice Centre – Public Art project 2001–02 Mt Isa Courthouse – Public Art project 2000–02 Cleveland Youth Detention Centre 2000–03 Cairns Base Hospital - Cultural Strategic Development Plan 1999–02 Kowanyama Community Justice Centre – Public Art project 1999–00 Bamaga Community Justice Centre – Public Art project Recent Teaching Positions 2002 Public Art Course, FNQ Institute of TAFE 1986–2000 Indigenous Communities in SA, NT and Qld Committees & Memberships 2007 Committee Member, Artisan (Craft Queensland) 2004–07 Chair, Bachelor Creative Industries Committee 2004–07 Advisory Council TNQ Institute TAFE 2003–06 Board Director, Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns 2004–06 Board Member Artworkers Alliance 2000–02 Chair KickArts Inc Cairns QLD 1996–00 Vice Chair KickArts Collective Cairns QLD

Collections collections in Australia, USA, Europe and Thailand

Rae O’Connell Recent Work History 2002–07 Director KickArts Contemporary Arts – Cairns 1985–02 Principal “House Of Rae” Arts Consultancy Services Education & Training 1999 Bachelor of Business, James Cook University 1994–95 Sculpture One Certificate, Brisbane School of Art 1985–90 Advanced Diploma of Visual & Applied Art (Major Textile Design), North Adelaide School of Art 1994 Teaching & Learning, University Of South Australia – Training & Facilitation Methods Certificate in Export. 1994 Chamber of Commerce & Melbourne Textile, Clothing & Footwear (TCF) 1984 Adelaide University Ceramics

cutting tool on carved linoleum. photo: Russell Milledge 95

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Theo Tremblay and Dennis Nona working on a large linoblock at KickArts 2007. photo: Russell Milledge

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