24 DN085
Dennis Nona Karum Au Ai - Goannas Food 2005
Linocut 650mm x 570mm $500
Karum Au Ai in my language is what the goannas eat on Badu island. There are two different species of goanna
on the Island. One is called Tamai. Tamai usually runs up the coconut trees and eats little insects and this one,
the second species in language is called Karum which I made the title here, the Karum. Karum, it usually eats
turtle eggs on the small island. Turtle eggs are a delicacy to Torres Strait Islanders and in the artwork, I feel
sorry about the threat to the survival of these turtles because we over-hunt them nowadays and also everybody
wants turtle eggs. In this artwork I wanted to make it about the future, about how we should think about the
future. That's what the work, Karum Au Ai is referring to – not only the goanna eats the turtle eggs, but we
Islanders eat it, so it's both human and lizard, and I think we have to take caution because in the olden days
times, there were rules which in language is called 'kwod', like a Parliamentary house on each island there were
courts are held and we had to take enough food and that was directed from the 'kwod'. When turtle eggs or food
like that are hunted they have to let the 'kwod' know how many eggs they got and that has to be shared with
everyone and if you keep going you will be punished. There's only a certain time to eat those turtle eggs. I just
wanted to base the artwork on that.
Medium: Linocut
Edition Size: 45
Printer: Theo Tremblay
Studio: Editions Tremblay NFP, Cairns
Linocut Created At: Brisbane, QLD on February, 2005
Print Published: Cairns, QLD on June, 2005
Paper: BFK Rives
Paper Height: 760 mm ( 29.9" )
Paper Width: 560 mm ( 22.0" )
Image Height: 450 mm ( 17.7" )
Image Width: 450 mm ( 17.7" )
I.D. : DN085