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Arone Meeks: Born 1957, is a Kuku Midigi man, currently residing in Cairns. Meeks grew up near El Arish, FNQ, although his country is the area around Laura, Cape York. He completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the City Art Institute in Sydney in 1984 and has forged an impressive national and international career since. Meeks’s practice includes painting, sculpture, drawing and public art commissions as well as linoprints, etchings and monoprints. His work appears in many national and international collections, both public and private.
Original artwork details: Blue moon barra, 2009, etching printed in one colour from one plate on Hahnemühle off white 300 GSM paper with Iwaki Chine Collé, CTP, 176 x 122 mm. Collaborative printer: Dian Darmansjah.
Netta Loogatha: Birrmuyingathi Maali Netta Loogatha, born 1942, is from the Kayardild language group of Bentinck Island. She paints at Mornington Island Art. Loogatha and her fellow Bentinck Island artists have enjoyed great critical and commercial success since 2005, when they began painting at the Art Centre. The vibrant colours and rich textures of their works have captivated audiences in Australia and internationally.
Artwork details: Markarrki, 2010, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 1010 x 760 mm.
Artwork story: This is where my father, King Alfred, was born. It is a big river system.
Dolly Loogatha: Thunduyingathui Bangaa Dolly Loogatha, born 1946, is from the Kayardild language group of Bentinck Island. She paints at Mornington Island Art. Her fellow Bentinck Island artists have enjoyed great critical and commercial success since 2005, when they began painting at the Art Centre, with Loogatha joining them a few years later. The vibrant colours and rich textures of their works have captivated audiences in Australia and internationally.
Artwork details: Thundi, 2010, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 1210 x 910 mm.
Artwork story: This is Thundi. There is a big river there and it’s a good place to shelter in bad weather.
Billy Missi: Born 1970, is from Kubin Village, Moa Island in Zenadh-Kes (the Torres Strait). He is known as one of the leading printmakers of this region, having exhibited widely and achieved both national and international acclaim.
Artwork story: During mango, almond and cashew nut season a lot of Sapur (flying foxes) come to our village and gardens. When the sun begins to set in the western sky, the Sapur usually come in flocks from the thick mangroves that fringe the coastline. The Sapur only come out at dusk to raid the fruit trees so that people cannot see them. Otherwise they would be targeted by hunters and chased away. Despite this they do make a lot of noise as they feed.
The Sapur suck the juice out of the fruit and dispose of the rest making a lot of mess under the trees. They do this all night until morning breaks when they take flight back to their isolated, thick scrubs and mangroves.
Growing up in the islands in the 1970s, these sightings were common during fruit season. It is our uncles who tell us that whenever flocks of Sapur approach the gardens, the fruit is ripe. This image shows a large number of Sapur flying to the village to feed on the fruit trees. They circle above the trees to choose where they will feed for the evening.
Terence Newman: is an emerging Torres Strait Islander artist and printmaker. Born in Cairns in 1989, he currently lives in Bamaga, Queensland. He has studied towards a Diploma of Visual Arts at Weipa TAFE, and also undertaken one-on-one training with printmaker Dian Darmansjah.
Artwork details: Kuki (North-westerly winds), 2009, etching printed in one colour from one plate on Hahnemühle off white 300 GSM paper with Iwaki Chine Collé, CTP, 176 x 122 mm. Collaborative printer: Dian Darmansjah.
Artwork story: This work represents the waves brought on by Kuki (the north-westerly winds).
Ethel Thomas: Warthardangathi Bijarrba Ethel Thomas, born 1946, is a Kayardild woman from Bentinck Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. She paints at Mornington Island Art. Thomas and her fellow Bentinck Island artists have enjoyed great critical and commercial success since 2005, when they began painting at the Art Centre. The vibrant colours and rich textures of their works have captivated audiences in Australia and internationally.
Artwork details: Love rocks, 2007, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 1370 x 910 mm.
Artwork story: This painting depicts special rocks used by Kayardild women to charm men.
