Dennis Nona is widely acknowledged as one the most important Torres Strait Islander artists.
Born on Badu Island in 1973 he was taught as a young boy the
traditional craft of woodcarving. This skill has been developed and
translated into the incredibly intricate and beautiful linocuts,
etchings and sculptures created by the artist since the commencement of
his art practice in 1989.
... view works
Prior to European arrival there were some 600 distinct tribal groups
located within Australia. Each lived a nomadic existence within its own
country. The Australian continent was at the time of Aboriginal
arrival, some 40,000 years ago, much larger; land extending well into
what is now the oil fields of the north-west shelf - off the coast of
Western Australia.
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The most important social order in aboriginal society is based on sex
and age. Men and women have separate but complimentary roles at a
religious level. However men are considered to control the most
important sacred knowledge which is hidden from both women and
children.
... more
Wandjina paintings adorn rock galleries and caves in the north-west Kimberley.
The figures are ancestral beings, to the Worrorra, Ngarinyin and
Woonambal tribes and are believed to have emanated from the clouds and
the sea.
... more
Established in 1960 under assimilationist policies, Papunya became the
home to a number of tribal groups. The majority of people were Pintupi,
but included Walpiri, Arrernte, Luritja and Anmatyerre groups.
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It was not until the mid-1980s that aboriginal artists from Lajamanu
began to paint using acrylics and only after considerable debate about
the acceptability of creating painting for sale, Aboriginal elders were
particularly critical of the public translation of traditional stories
into permanent materials that had been occurring at Papunya since 1971.
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The Torres Straits were named after the first European explorer in the
region Luis Vaes de Torres who sailed through the Strait in 1606. He
was followed by Captain James Cook who made claim to the area on behalf
of the British Crown on what is now known as Bedanug (Posession
Island). Cook (1768-71), Bligh and Flinders charted the reef waters
prior to colonial expansion in to the region. From the 1860’s European,
Polynesian, Malaysian and Japanese traders (amongst others) dived and
collected on the reefs and islands for sandalwood, turtle shell, pearl
and beche de mer.
... more
