Email: tupmul@hotmail.com
Paper: watercolor archers smooth 250 gms
Title: Warr ar Gapu
Medium: Linocut
Price: AU$180-
Region: Torres Strait, Badu Island
Description:
Warr ar Gapu in western Torres Strait Island language means turtle and suckerfish. The meaning of Warr ar Gapu is a traditional saying for hunters to use suckerfish to catch turtles. This is a traditional way of hunting turtles by attaching string-rope to the tail of the suckerfish and it is then cast out near the turtle then it will swim to the turtle
and attach itself to the back of the turtle's shell. This knowledge was originally handed down from the legend story from Bia of Badu Island.
DENNIS NONA BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1973 on Badu Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland Australia. Dennis was born and raised with the traditional craft of wood carving. This, along with his cultural heritage, learnt through story telling and ceremonies, helped him develop his linocut skills which feature an intricate decorative style based on the rich narrative legends of the Torres Strait Islander people. The symbols he uses of sea creatures, masks and designs were influenced of Torres Strait Island artifacts, with traditional designs carved on them.
Dennis feels strongly about retaining his culture through his art. He holds an Associate Diploma of Art from Cairns TAFE and a Diploma of Visual Arts in Printmaking from the Institute of Arts, Australian National University, Canberra. Dennis is currently taking a Masters in Visual Arts at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.
Subjects and themes
Traditional Torres Strait Island Melanesian influence. Dennis’s linocuts derive from his wood-carving experiences on Badu Island, He is inspired by Torres Strait Island life and family traditions.
Subjects and Themes
Traditional Torres Strait Island Melanesian influence. Dennis’s linocuts derive from his wood-carving
experiences on Badu Island and Thursday Island , He is inspired by Torres Strait Island life and family traditions.
Language: Kala Lagaw Ya ( Western Torres Strait Island )
Totem: Tabu ( Snake Totem of Saibai Island of Nona Family ) and Tupmul ( Stingray of Badu Island )
Region: Western Torres Strait Island, Australia
Exhibitions
1991: The Eighth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, AUSTRALIA
Group Show, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Cairns Art Society Exhibition, Cairns Regional Art Gallery, Cairns, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
1992: One People One Soul, Palm Court Gallery, Cairns, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Colours of Black, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Group Exhibition, Gallery of Australian Landscape, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Cross Currents, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
The Ninth Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, AUSTRALIA
New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, touring AUSTRALIA & USA
1993: New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, touring AUSTRALIA & USA
Aboriginal Printmakers, Northern Territory University Art Gallery, Darwin, AUSTRALIA
Mixed Exhibition, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, Augen Gallery, Portland, OREGON, USA
Cairns Tafe Students, Studio One, Canberra, AUSTRALIA
Australian Aboriginal Printmakers, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WASHINGTON, USA
1994: Gold Coast Art Award, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
International Print Exhibition, Machida, TOKYO, JAPAN
Aboriginal Exhibition, South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide,AUSTRALIA
Malu Ural, National Maritime Museum, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Aboriginal Art Award, Heritage Commission, Canberra, AUSTRALIA
1995: Same but Different, Aboriginal and Islander Students at the Australian National University, School of Arts Gallery, Canberra,AUSTRALIA
Mixed Exhibition, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
1996: Group Exhibition Australian National University ACT Canberra , AUSTRALIA
Studio 1 Group Exhibition Kingston ACT Canberra, AUSTRALIA
1998: The Art of Place touring exhibition.
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Northern Territory, AUSTRALIA
Griffith Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Fire-Works Gallery, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
South Australian Museum, South Australia, AUSTRALIA
Mildura Art Centre, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA
Lismore Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
1999: Lismore Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
2000: Ilan Pasin Touring Exhibition ,Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Telstra Art Award Darwin, Northern Territory, AUSTRALIA
2001: Gelam Nguzu Kazi - Gelam My Son, Travelling Exhibition. Australian Museum, Sydney NSW Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC, Canada
Rebecca Hossack Gallery, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Brisbane City Gallery, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Newcastle, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT, AUSTRALIA
Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale, AUSTRALIA
Manning Regional Art Gallery, Taree, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Stanthorpe, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, South AUSTRALIA
Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Mildura Arts Centre, Mildura, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Manly Art Gallery, Manly, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Noosa Regional Art Gallery, Tewantin, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Cairns Regional Art Gallery, Cairns, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
2002: Cairns Regional Gallery,Cairns, Queenland, AUSTRALIA
PapuaNew Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, Port Moresby, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Adam Art Gallery Te Pataka Toi, Wellington, Aotearoa, NEW ZEALAND
19th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Telstra Award, AUSTRALIA
Thaigy Mineral Thursday Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Touring Exhibition Gelam Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, AUSTRALIA
Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Manly Art Gallery, Manly, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Noosa Regional Art Gallery, Tewantin, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Cairns Regional Art Gallery, Cairns, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
2003: Tjibaou Cultural Centre, NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA
Beneath the Monsoon - Visions North of Capricorn, Arts Space Mackay, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Dream Traces, Brighton University, UNITED KINGDOM
Bovicai Collabrative Exhibition Holiday Inn Motel, Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Coochimadlo Island Market Exhibition, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Indigenous Outback Exhibition "Naidoc Day" Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Michael Fox Gallery Exhibition, Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Pandanas Art Collabrative Exhibition, Currumbin Beach, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Telstra Art Award Darwin, Northern Territory, AUSTRALIA
Fremantle Art Award, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA
Christchurch Art Gallery/Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Christchurch, Aotearoa, NEW ZEALAND
2004: Christchurch Art Gallery/Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Christchurch, Aotearoa, NEW ZEALAND
Fragments Exhibition Little Stanley Street Gallery, Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Angel Orensanze International Art Award, NEW YORK, USA
Robin O'chin memorial Art Award, Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Education
1992: Associate Diploma of Art - Cairns College of Tafe
1997: Diploma of Art - The Australian National University Institute of Arts
Awards
Cairns State High School Art Award Winner, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Cairns State High School Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Award, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Machida International Print Art Award Winner, TOKYO, JAPAN
Angel Orensanz Foundation Installation Art Award Winner, NEW YORK, USA
Griffith University Lions Club Equity Bursary for Excellence in the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Commisions 2001-2004
Australian Indigenous Medicare Card Logo Design, AUSTRALIA
Badu Island Council Mural Paintaings,Torres Strait, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Thursday Island State High School Mural Painting, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Cairns North State Primary School Mural Painting, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Wakaid Coral Sea Logo Design, Badu Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Housing Poster Design, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Badu Island State Primary School Sportst-shirt Logo Design, Queensland, AUSTRALIA.
Kubin, Moa Island Logo Design Net Ball Team, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Prints Commisioned, Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Bibliography
Angel Orensanze International Art Award NEW YORK, USA
Perkins H. ‘Beyond the Year of Indigenous Peoples’ in Art and Australia 1993 Vol 31 No 1 p 98-101.
Illustrations, Dabu the Baby Dugong, Magaballa Press, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA
International Print Exhibition Cat. Machida, TOKYO, JAPAN
New Tracks Old Land Cat., Prints from Aboriginal Australia, Aboriginal Arts Management Association.
Ilan Pasin, this is our story. Torres Strait Art. Cairns Regional Gallery Exhibition Catalogue.
Gelam Nguzu Kazi - Gelam My Son, Australian and International Touring Exhibition Catalogue.
Demozay M. 2001, Gatherings, Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Native Title Business, Australian Touring Exhibition Catalogue.
Collections
Machida Graphic Arts Museum, TOKYO, JAPAN
Gateway Horn Island Museum, Torres Strait, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Australian National University Printmaking Collection ACT, Canberra, AUSTRALIA
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, AUSTRALIA
National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Griffith University Art Collection, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Victoria & Albert Museum, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
OTC Collection, AUSTRALIA
South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Ballarat, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Griffith University Art Collection, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Noosa Regional Gallery, Noosa Heads, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, AUSTRALIA
Publications
Australian Indigenous Art Trade News, The Journal of the Australian Indigenous Art Trade Association, Summer 2001.
Dabu Grows Up; by Selena Solomon and Dennis Nona (illustrator), 240 x 190 mm, paperback, 28 pp, colour.
Dabu the Baby Dugong: Kazi Dhangal; by Selena Solomon and Dennis Nona (illustrator), 205 x 245 mm, paperback, 48 pp, colour.
In Their Own Words - Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Island Children's Book Illustrations, by: Georgia Rouette, Antiques & Art in Australia Pty Ltd.
Poster Logo Design, Medicare: Indigenous Health, Health Insurance Commission.
Songlines - Emerging Queensland Indigenous Artists, Keeaira Press, 2003 cardcover, 32 pages, colour photos.
contact details:
Name: Dennis Nona
Postal Address: 8/37 Manning Street
South Brisbane 4101 QLD
AUSTRALIA
Email: Dennis.Nona@student.gu.edu.au
Telephone: +61 (07) 3846 1116
|
