Description
Nona and Tipoti are from the tiny community of Badu Island in the Torres Strait, situated between the very tip of Australia and Papua New Guinea. In collaboration with the resources of The Australian Art Print Network, and access to the invaluable expertise of master printers such as Theo Tremblay (Cairns), Bill Young (King Valley), Basil Hall (Darwin) and David Jones and Jacek Rybinski (Brisbane), along with Urban Art Projects, an Australian foundry specialising in cast bronze and other sculptural mediums, they are riding a wave of unprecedented success. At home, in the Torres Strait, and elsewhere in Australia, Nona and Tipoti have become role models as cultural ambassadors through their art. The work of Islander artists such as David Bosun, Victor Motlop, Billy Missi, Mario Assan, Rosie Barkus, and Joey Laifoo has been informed by their success. Younger members of the community, such as Fiona Elisala, have studied print-media techniques under Nona’s mentoring at Queensland College of Art in Brisbane, while Tipoti has assisted greatly in the development of young artists at Thursday Island TAFE. In contrast with many young artists, both are keen to communicate whatever they can about their skills, technique and ‘trade secrets’.
