Baidam-Shark constellation
2006
Medium
linocut
Measurements
94.8 × 242.0 cm (image)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented by Woolloongabba Art Gallery, 2007
© Dennis Nona. Courtesy of The Aboriginal Art Network.
Gallery location
Gallery 9
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
Born on Waiben (Thursday Island) and raised on Badu (Mulgrave Island), Torres Strait Islander artist Dennis Nona draws on rich cultural traditions, including carving and ceremonial knowledge, to explore ancestral narratives in contemporary form. This linocut maps the shark asterism, a constellation of seven stars that, for Torres Strait Islanders, signals seasonal shifts and guides daily life. While Western astronomy names this cluster the Pleiades, Nona presents it as a powerful shark moving across the sky. The stars scatter across the composition, their shimmering outlines surrounded by radiating motifs that echo ocean currents. Baidam connects the celestial with the terrestrial, honouring cultural knowledge that spans time and space.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Cairns, Queensland
Edition
artist's proof
Accession Number
2007.421
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Physical description
In this magisterial linocut Nona relates the dance of kaigasal usulal (shovel nose shark) as it turns in the Milky Way. When the galaxy has one of its arms extended towards Papua New Guinea and the other towards Australia, the ocean currents are weak. However, when it turns and its arms extend towards the central islands, strong currents can be expected.