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Barramundi

Artist Elma Kris (1972)

Date1991

Object number00017238

NamePainting

MediumAcrylic on paper

DimensionsOverall: 765 x 965 x 22 mm, 4.9 kg

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA painting by Elma Kris of Thursday Island featuring a school of barramundi. Elma Kris was raised on Waiben (Thursday Island) and her clan is from the North Western and Central Islands of the Torres Strait. Fish are a favoured food source for Indigenous communities and therefore appear as totems and in Dreamtime stories and Creation myths. Indigenous people respect the food resources that sustain them and they celebrate them in rituals that aim to increase the bounty of the species.HistoryElma Kris studied visual arts at Cairns Institute of TAFE before studying dance at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association College in Sydney (NAISDA). After graduating she joined the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre during which time she toured with the company to Germany, Israel and England. She also formed her own dance group Bibir (Strength). In 1999 she joined Bangarra Dance Theatre full time. SignificanceFish are a favoured food source for Indigenous communities and therefore appear as totems and in Dreamtime stories and Creation myths. Indigenous people respect the food resources that sustain them and they celebrate them in rituals that aim to increase the bounty of the species.