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Dennis Nona

Dennis Nona is widely acknowledged as one the most important Torres Strait Islander artists and is represented in the collections of many institutions and private collections globally.

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 Dennis Nona since the commencement of his art practice in 1989.

Nona pioneered the development of the highly intricate linocut prints unique to the Torres Strait Islands. He has documented, in a vivid visual form, the ancient myths and legends of his island and the wider Torres Strait that had previously been transmitted by oral story telling and dance.

He uses a more graphic way of storytelling. Instead of a work based on a single image like that of the traditional Torres Strait Islander art, he introduced many, following what was being done by mainland Aboriginal artists. In this way he could relate an entire narrative in one single work with all the characters and events in one image. To link the work he introduced a matrix of delicately lined clan patterning, so binding the entire story to its place of origin. Since this breakthrough, the intricate designs and bold figurative imagery created by printmakers like Nona, have given local culture a vital reinvigoration. Today they are central to a cultural revival and elders now refer to them to help them to relate ancient stories to others. These were fast fading from common knowledge and being lost to new generations of Islanders suffering the cultural dislocation often imposed by the impact European settlement and influence.

Within Nona’s work there is a celebration of island myths and legends, of how humans, animals, plants and landscape took their meaning from epic or magical events in the past. It was a culture where fighting was glorified and warriors were held in high esteem. Legendary heroes wore distinctive local headdress and masks. They played drums and used objects associated with their ritual ceremonies and dances. It was a culture of head hunters, cannibalism and raiding parties that attacked homes built in tree tops. It was a society where men, women, sorcerers and witches came to their final grief by being transformed into sea creatures or cast into the sea to become the islands and rocky outcrops evident throughout the Western Torres Strait Islands today.

Art Mob has represented Dennis Nona since 2004 and now holds most of his available commercial stock.

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Details

Born: 1973
Skin: Badu
Language: Western Torres Strait
Location: Torres Strait Qld

Biography

Dennis Nona is widely known as one of the most essential Torres Strait Islander artists.
Born on Badu Island in 1973 he was taught as a young boy the traditional craft of woodcarving. As his skills developed, he began to produce intricate linocuts, etchings and sculptures.
Dennis holds a Diploma of Art from Cairns TAFE, a Diploma of Visual Arts in Printmaking from the Institution of Arts, Australian National University, Canberra and is currently completing a Master of Arts degree in Visual Arts at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane.
You will find Dennis Nona’s artworks in the collections of most major Australian art institutions and several important overseas collections. These include the National Gallery of Australia; Queensland Art Gallery; National Gallery of Victoria; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Cambridge University Museum United Kingdom, and the Museum of American Indian Arts, USA.
Nona pioneered the development of the highly intricate linocut prints unique to the Torres Strait Islands. He has documented, in a visual form, the ancient myths and legends of his island and the wider Torres Strait that had previously been transmitted by oral storytelling and dance.
He uses a more graphic way of storytelling. Instead of a piece based on a single image like the traditional Torres Strait Islander art, he introduced many stories into his artworks as the mainland Aboriginal artists. Since this breakthrough, the intricate designs and bold figurative imagery created by printmakers like Nona, have given local culture a vital reinvigoration. Today they are central to a cultural revival, and elders now refer to them to help them to relate ancient stories to others.
Within Nona’s artworks, there is a celebration of island myths and legends, of how humans, animals, plants and landscape took their meaning from epic or magical events in the past. It was a culture where fighting was glorified, and warriors were held in high esteem. Legendary heroes wore distinctive local headdress and masks. They played the drums and used objects associated with their ritual ceremonies and dances. It was a culture of head hunters, cannibalism and raiding parties that attacked homes built in treetops. It was a society where men, women, sorcerers and witches came to their final grief by being transformed into sea creatures or cast into the sea to become the islands and rocky outcrops evident throughout the Western Torres Strait Islands today.
The attraction of Nona’s work lies in the way he has drawn on the rich traditions of Torres Strait Islander carving which he has transferred to linocut and more recently etchings and sculpture.



Exhibitions
  • 1991 The Eighth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
  • 1991 Group Show, Hogarth Galleries,Sydney.
  • 1991 Cairns Art Society Exhibition, Cairns Regional Art Gallery, Cairns, QLD
  • 1992 One People One Soul, Palm Court Gallery, Cairns, QLD
  • 1992 Colours of Black, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane.
  • 1992 Group Exhibition, Gallery of Australian Landscape, Brisbane.
  • 1992 Cross Currents, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
  • 1992 The Ninth Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
  • 1992/1993 New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, touring USA and Australia.
  • 1993 Aboriginal Printmakers, Northern Territory University Art Gallery, Darwin.
  • 1993 Mixed Exhibition, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney.
  • 1993 Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, Augen Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA.
  • 1993 Cairns TAFE Students, Studio One, Canberra.
  • 1993 Australian Aboriginal Printmakers, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, Washington, USA.
  • 1994 Gold Coast Art Award, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, QLD.
  • 1994 International Print Exhibition, Machida, Tokyo, Japan.
  • 1994 Aboriginal Exhibition, South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide.
  • 1994 Malu Ural, National Maritime Museum, Sydney.
  • 1994 Aboriginal Art Award, Heritage Commission, Canberra.
  • 1995 Same but Different, Aboriginal and Islander Students at the Australian National University, School of Arts Gallery, Canberra.
  • 1995 Mixed Exhibition, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane.
  • 2001 Gelam Ngzu Kazi – Gelam My Son, Australian Museum, Sydney.
  • 2007 Zugulal, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2016 Top 20, Art Mob, Hobart, Tas
  • 2009 Gaigai Ika Woebadh Yatharewmka, Legends through Patterns from the Past, Robert Steele Gallery, New York USA
  • 2008 The Tropics, Views from the Middle of the Globe, Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin Germany.
  • 2008 25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Museum & Art Gallery of the Nothern Territory.
  • 2011 Dennis Nona – New Works, Art Mob, Hobart, Tas
  • 2007 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne
  • 2007 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Big Star Art Gallery, Adelaide, SA
  • 2007 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Impressions on Paper Gallery, Canberra, ACT
  • 2006 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona Suzanne O’Connell Gallery, Brisbane
  • 2006 Sesserae: New Works by Dennis Nona, Framed Gallery, Darwin
  • 2006 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Darwin Entertainment Centre Gallery
  • 2006/07 Sesserae; The Works of Dennis Nona Regional Tour. Rockhampton Regional Gallery, Qld. Port Macquarie Regional Art Gallery, NSW. Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island, Qld. Cairns Regional Gallery, Qld. Cooloola Shire Gallery, Qld. New Land Regional Gallery, Adelaide SA. Logan City Art Gallery, Qld. Caloundra City Gallery, Qld
  • 2005 Sesserae; The Art of Dennis Nona, Dell Gallery at Queensland College of Art, Brisbane 2005 Sesserae and Other Stories, Kickarts, Cairns 2005 Sesserae; New Prints by Dennis Nona, Darwin Entertainment Centre Gallery, Darwin 2006 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Cooee Aboriginal Art, Sydney 2006 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Australian Embassy, Paris 2006 Sesserae; New Works by Dennis Nona, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London
  • 2011 Critics’ Choice 2011, Art Mob, Hobart, Tas
  • 2011 Emma’s Choice 2011, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2013 More Treasures from the Past, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2014 Tourist Tat & other problematic, tokenistic spotty meanderings, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2013 Australia, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
  • 2015 Memories of Max, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS
  • 2017 Muinu Kaipai Ngapa Kulai ia, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2017 Top 20, Art Mob’s most popular artists of 2016, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2017 Story Waters, Cairns Art Gallery, Cairns, QLD
  • 2018 Top 20, Art Mob’s most popular artists of 2017, Art Mob, Hobart
  • 2018 Muin-nguz tarrpan – Weaving my spirit back, Art Mob, Hobart, Tas
  • 2018 Muin-nguz tarrpan – Weaving my spirit back, Art Mob, Hobart, Tas
  • 2019 Top 20 – Art Mob’s 2018 most popular artists, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS
Bibliography
  • 1993 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, WA.
  • International Print Exhibition Cat. Machida
  • 2000 Islands in the Sun, National Gallery of Australia exhibition catalogue
  • 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.
  • 2001 Demozay M., Gatherings, Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from Queensland Australia.
  • Native Title Business, Australian Touring Exhibition Catalogue
  • 2002 Wilson G., Beneath the Monsoon Visions North of Capricorn exhibition catalogue, Art Space Mackay, Mackay QLD.
  • 2004 Reid Michael, How to Buy and Sell Art
  • 2005 Sesserae: The Works of Dennis Nona. DELL Gallery at QCA Exhibition Catalogue
  • 2005 Busan International Print Art Festival Catalogue
  • 2005 ARC Art, Design & Craft 2005 Biennial Catalogue
  • Australie: le jeune homme et la mer; Loeuvre grave de Dennis Nona. Paris Exhibition Catalogue
  • 2007 Artlines: Art and People. Queensland Art Gallery Magazine
  • 2007 Contemporary Printmakers from the Torres Strait. Exhibition Catalogue,
  • 2007 Culture Warriors. National indigenous art Triennial exhibition catalogue,
  • 2007 The 5th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Exhibition Catalogue,
  • 2008 Craft Arts International #74 magazine, Art of the Torres Strait
Awards
  • 2007 24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Overall Winner
  • 2008 25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Winner Works on Paper
  • 2004 Angel Orensanz International Art Award, New York.
  • Cairns State High School Art Award, Cairns
  • 2010 27th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Winner Works on Paper
  • 2011 28th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Winner Works on Paper



Artwork

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  • DN755

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  • DN754

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  • DN753

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  • DN752

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  • DN751

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  • DN750

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  • DN749

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  • DN748

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  • DN747

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  • DN746

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  • DN745

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  • DN744

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  • DN743

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  • DN742

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  • DN741

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  • DN740

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  • DN739

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  • DN738

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  • DN737

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    Tasmania, Australia
  • +61 3 6236 9200
  • euan@artmob.com.au
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