Waru Kazil, 2005

Dennis Nona  

Dennis Nona was born in 1973 on the Badu Island. He comes from the Torres Strait, from one of the two ?indigenous? communities in Australia (in the Northern part of the continent).

He is a print artist and a sculptor and, through his art, he tells the legends of his people. He is considered to be one of the best representatives of Australian printmaking. His favorite techniques are the linocut and the aquatint; he uses these techniques because he thinks the texture of the paper, the fabrication techniques and the ink and pigments give strength to the universe he creates.

Dennis Nona reinterprets the patterns of the traditional mask drawings that evoke the legends of the Torres Strait and of Papua New Guinea, so his artworks are veritable ?chanson de gestes?.

His works are unique combinations of traditional totemic representations that often have marine subjects (turtles, fish, lobsters), of invented shapes and characters that seem to come from Hieronymus Bosch?s paintings, and subtle arabesques as a background for these narratives.

Beyond its visual dimesion, the graphic work of Dennis Nona is a ?defense and illustration? of the culture of his native region.