Dennis Nona
Treasures from the Past
Nov 24 – Dec 9 or until sold out
A rare selection of older etchings by highly acclaimed Torres Strait Islander artist Dennis Nona.
These works are among the very last available from their editions and are all framed.
Prices include GST but not freight.
15 DN085
Dennis Nona Karum Au Ai - Goannas Food 2005
Linocut 650mm x 570mm $600 unframed (2 Artist’s Proofs available unframed) SOLD
#10/45 framed
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" )
 
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