Dennis Nona: Waii - Coming In

Waii – Coming In refers to the wash of ocean detritus brought in and then left by the high tide – this wash parallels the movements of these artworks coming into the Gallery in July and leaving their presence on the walls. These works bring with them treasures and educative tales from Dennis Nona’s Torres Strait Island heritage. 

Nona has emerged as one of Australia’s most important contemporary artists. In addition to being the overall winner of the Telstra NATSI Art Award in 2007 and winner of the NATSIAA print awards in 2008 and 2010, Nona has also held solo exhibitions internationally and received commissions in Cairns, Lyon, Korea and Saudi Arabia.

These spectacular works allow the viewer to be visually immersed in the artists’ universe. This is exemplified in Tupmul Aw Kwod, a beautiful etching which depicts five cones in a circular pattern. Tupmul is one type of stingray found in the waters of Badu Island, Nona’s tribal home, and is the totem name of one of the local clans. The five shells in this work represent a meeting of members of the Tupmul clan who are discussing private men’s business.  Many of Nona’s prints contain traditional stories and knowledge passed down between generations of Torres Strait Islanders. By layering meaning and stories Nona is able to share these stories with the viewers in a visually intricate manner.

The artist has recently made a major donation of a significant group of his works on paper to Gold Coast City Gallery and also to Bond University and this exhibition celebrates and acknowledges those gifts and the extraordinary vision of the artist. The exhibition includes three very large prints – one 6 meters long - that have redefined the medium of printmaking in Australia. Featured alongside these beautiful prints will be a selection of paintings on canvas, a new medium to Nona, in which he displays a completely different simplified aesthetic where this marks and lines are distilled down to essential powerful elements.