2016, linocut print on paper

 

"Badhu Harbourka (2016) tells the story of the pearling industry on Badu Island. The work is dedicated to my father Philip Nona Senior – a respected elder of the industry. Intertwined within the print is a story of my father’s, which was composed into song and dance. The story tells of how two brothers – my father and my uncle (my father’s younger brother), were heading out at 4am on their pearl luggers. My uncle’s boat broke down, yet my father still went out to work in order to feed his family. He did not return until dark at which point he towed his brother back to Badu Harbour. My uncle was annoyed at being left all day on the boat. The song expresses this frustration between the brothers. In the center of the print you can see my father’s boat towing my uncle back to Badu Harbour.

 

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