Oun

Artist Glen 'Kei Kalak' Mackie (1975)

Printer Theo Tremblay

DateJuly 2009

Object number00056354

NameLinocut

MediumPaper, ink

DimensionsOverall: 555 × 500 mm
Image: 280 × 313 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Michael Kershaw

Terms

DescriptionGlen Mackie (Kei Kalak) was born in 1975 on Yam Island in Torres Strait. He is a respected leader of the Torres Strait Islander printmaking movement, using family totemic designs, geometric patterns and minar (in-fill designs) to tell his ancestral stories. This linocut depicts the oun or stingray, which is the totem of his two daughters and was inherited from their mother, a native of Mer Island.SignificanceThis linocut, entitled Oun, is by noted Torres Strait Islander printmaker, Glen Mackie (Kei Kalak). His work is represented in state and national collections in Australia and he has exhibited widely. Mackie has become particularly important as the 'storyteller' of his birthplace, Yam Island, using his artistic practice to preserve sacred stories, including about the four brothers who settled Zenadh Kes (Central and Eastern Torres Strait): Malu, Sigai, Kulka and Siue.

The print's provenance to the Michael Kershaw collection further adds to its significance as, in his position as managing director of the Australian Art Network, he has been responsible for the development and promotion of Indigenous art for over 25 years. Through the publication and distribution of fine art prints by First Nations artists, Kershaw has contributed to broader recognition of their work in Australia and internationally.