Ngay

Artist Alick Tipoti (1975)

Date2009

Object number00055474

NameLinocut

MediumLinocut and hand-coloured print on paper

DimensionsOverall (paper size): 2050 × 1245 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionA linocut self-portrait by artist Alick Tipoti. Tipoti has depicted himself wearing an intricate detailed Dhari headdress and a white breastplate, highlighted against a highly decorated background. On the lower right, within the patterning, there are four blocks that contain block letters that read ‘AT’, ‘DKT’, ‘LAT’ and ‘AZT’. Alick Tipoti is known for his intricate prints and sculptural works along with large ancestral masks. In Ngay, Tipoti's first self-portrait, he has combined elements of both. HistoryThis work is Alick Tipoti's first self-portrait. Tipoti is guided in his work by the traditional cultural practices of his people, he sees his responsibility to document the stories, genealogies, songs, and other aspects of his culture so that it is available for future generations to learn, understand and practice. Tipoti is now a senior cultural leader of Zenadh Kes in addition to being an influential contemporary artist. He ensures strong traditional language is embedded in everything he does and is one of few holders of traditional song and dance attached to the stories of his ancestors. Given the traditional name Zugub, Tipoti is able to relate to the spirits of his ancestors, the Zugubal. This provides him the insight to translate their words through his art and his dance. SignificanceAlick Tipoti is one of the most important Zenadh Kes artists of his generation and highly respected for his work in regenerating cultural knowledge, practices and language through his art, guided by the traditional cultural practices of his people. Tipoti’s diverse storytelling encompasses traditional cosmology, marine environment and ocean conservation and at the essence, what it is to be a sea person.