Lin Onus, a Yorta Yorta artist of Aboriginal and Scottish descent, represents a singular voice in Australia’s cultural life. Esteemed for his wit, talent and panache, Onus’s work is a negotiation of cultural identity, employing both Aboriginal and Western techniques to unsettle categorisation. 

After being racistly expelled from school at age fourteen, Onus worked as a mechanic and activist, before teaching himself to draw. He forged a style that combined photo-realism, surrealism and indigenous iconography. Not only was this reflective of his heritage, it also represented his attitude at large, which championed reconciliation over alienation.

Recognisably by Onus, Gumbirri Garginingi is a vision of tranquillity. It depicts five turtles against the pebbles of a river floor, overlain with the watery reflection of trees. Interestingly, since they were not his totem animal, Onus was culturally prohibited from depicting turtles, an issue he resolved by trading two pairs of blue jeans with a friend who was. 

Detailed, multi-coloured and impeccably composed, Gumbirri Garginingi testifies to an artist whose artistic vision was only matched by his activism. Caught between different worlds, Onus wrote in 1990 that he hoped to be remembered as a “bridge between cultures, technology and ideas”. With representation in most major Australian collections and an OBE, it is undoubtable that he has. 

An object of cultural exchange, Gumbirri Garginingi presents multiple perspectives at once. We at once look from above, below and within, realising that the landscape is neither monolithic nor resolved. For collectors of important Australian, Aboriginal and contemporary art, give your collection new life with Gumbirri Garginingi.

 

Lin ONUS (1948 - 1996)
'Gumbirri Garganingi' 1996
Screenprint on paper
Edition of 85
Image Size: 50 x 70 cm
Signed: Signed, dated, titled and numbered in pencil in margin below image
Comes with Letter of Provenance.
Another screenprint from this edition is in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra: ACCESSION NUMBER 2002.87

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art’s image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the image.

(c) Lin Onus / Copyright Agency