NGWAYU Sea Turtle Exhibition

Congratulations to local Indigenous Artist and TAFE Visual Arts Tutor Kevin Edmonstone, who launched his sea turtle exhibition at our very own Banggu Minjaany Art Gallery last Friday, 10th October. Kevin began painting at 8 years of age and today is one of Australia's great Indigenous Artists. His work is prized by the National Gallery of Australia and proudly exhibited here at Tropical North TAFE. We have included the inspiring story behind his collection here:

This is an exhibition of self discovery and a journey to reclaim culture. Sea turtles have been in existence since the beginning of time. I have used the turtle shell as a base for my paintings symbolizing the passing down of wisdom and knowledge of culture from my ancestors. The turtle shell is important to me because at the age of 23 I found my family and I found my culture. At this time of my life I began to know my culture, gaining the missing piece of my identity. My family taught me the customary way of hunting. At this young age, I hunted my first turtle, but cutting turtles was one of the first things I learnt. Turtle shells are illegal to sell, so I have made a replica out of plaster and have painted them with acrylic using paintbrush and airbrush.

Kevin is a great inspiration to our visual arts students and local indigenous artists. His work is simply stunning. This remarkable exhibition is worth a visit, and if you're around campus, make sure you drop by and check it out!