Alick Tipoti

Sowlal

58
votes

Alick Tipoti

Sowlal

Edition: 30
Medium: Linocut
Size: 180x94cm
Price: $ NFS
NFS

Featured on the roof of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco during the exhibition, Australia: Defending the Oceans, the main theme being the preservation of sea turtles.

The large turtle dominating the lino is a female Greenback (Waaru). The circular patterns represent the lifecycle of the turtle and their fight for survival. Their perils start after hatching where they run the gauntlet of predators such as feral pigs, goannas and birds as they head down the sand to the open sea. Baby turtles must then evade crocodiles and large fish and as they mature they are subject to pollution, being trapped in ghost nets and bycatch, injury from boating, the ingestion of plastics and hunters.

Interconnecting forms and optical illusion are a significant aspect of Tipoti’s artistic strategy. This is demonstrated in the print where decorative patterning or Minaral merges into an almost hidden profusion of marine creatures.

Within the large turtle can be seen –
Front left flipper – Kazilayg (pregnant dugong)
Front right flipper – Barakuthaw Garka (male dugong ready to mate)
Centre of turtle back – Koey Bidhay (large squid), Moei Bidhay (small squid)
Left of turtle back – Gaapu (remora or sucker fish), Dhubur (male turtle), Baydham (shark)
Right of turtle back – Kayar (crayfish), Taadu (sand crab), Moeyen (night fish)

Around the edge of print clockwise from bottom left can be seen – Sugu (octopus), Poeka (young female dugong), Wap (fish), Kayar (crayfish), Boengadh (species of jellyfish), Thupmul (file ray), Bidhay (squid), Gurba (crab).

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