Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Kibu Ka Tidik
Matilda Nona
2026
Silkscreen print on Somerset paper
760 × 560 mm
Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Artwork Statement
Kibu is a spiritual place where our ancestors journey after they pass. This work tells a story of awakening. For too long, cultural protocols have been disturbed, neglected and forgotten. The spiritual figures, asleep beneath the earth for thousands of years, have risen carrying baskets of knowledge to walk among us once again.
They return to remind us of our responsibilities: to practise culture, share stories, and maintain our connection to Country, sea and community.
Emerging from the bu shell — a sacred meeting place where decisions are made — the figures embody guidance, wisdom and renewal. The basket represents ancestral knowledge, the feather symbolises guidance, and the dugong (dhangal) reflects traditional hunting practices and cultural identity.
These spiritual beings govern the winds and the land, leading us back to our cultural foundations. Their purpose is to guide future generations, strengthen cultural continuity, and inspire the regeneration of our lands, waters and traditions.
Matilda Nona is an Argun woman from Badu Island in Maluilgal Sea Country. Her practice brings together printmaking processes, including relief printing and monoprinting, with an experimental approach to making inks from materials connected to her Torres Strait homeland, including fermented mango juice, ochre and charcoal.
Nona’s practice explores maternal ceremonies and draws imagery from land and sea. Her approach to printmaking is also deeply connected to family, Country and cultural knowledge.
“I’m an Argun woman from Badu Island in Maluilgal Sea Country. My totems are the Thupmul (stingray) and the Koedal (crocodile). My wind is the Sagerr Gub (North Easterly).
I was drawn to printmaking through my father, who was a wood carver, which led me to carving on vinyl. I started working with natural pigments and plant extracts as a way of reducing the cost of getting commercial materials from the mainland.
I had a crazy idea — if only I could turn ochres and plant extracts into my own signature inks. It would be significant to me, my people and my homeland. It would be like having a piece of Badu in your home.”
— Matilda Nona
Kibu Ka Tidik
Matilda Nona
2026
Silkscreen print on Somerset paper
760 × 560 mm
Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Artwork Statement
Kibu is a spiritual place where our ancestors journey after they pass. This work tells a story of awakening. For too long, cultural protocols have been disturbed, neglected and forgotten. The spiritual figures, asleep beneath the earth for thousands of years, have risen carrying baskets of knowledge to walk among us once again.
They return to remind us of our responsibilities: to practise culture, share stories, and maintain our connection to Country, sea and community.
Emerging from the bu shell — a sacred meeting place where decisions are made — the figures embody guidance, wisdom and renewal. The basket represents ancestral knowledge, the feather symbolises guidance, and the dugong (dhangal) reflects traditional hunting practices and cultural identity.
These spiritual beings govern the winds and the land, leading us back to our cultural foundations. Their purpose is to guide future generations, strengthen cultural continuity, and inspire the regeneration of our lands, waters and traditions.
Matilda Nona is an Argun woman from Badu Island in Maluilgal Sea Country. Her practice brings together printmaking processes, including relief printing and monoprinting, with an experimental approach to making inks from materials connected to her Torres Strait homeland, including fermented mango juice, ochre and charcoal.
Nona’s practice explores maternal ceremonies and draws imagery from land and sea. Her approach to printmaking is also deeply connected to family, Country and cultural knowledge.
“I’m an Argun woman from Badu Island in Maluilgal Sea Country. My totems are the Thupmul (stingray) and the Koedal (crocodile). My wind is the Sagerr Gub (North Easterly).
I was drawn to printmaking through my father, who was a wood carver, which led me to carving on vinyl. I started working with natural pigments and plant extracts as a way of reducing the cost of getting commercial materials from the mainland.
I had a crazy idea — if only I could turn ochres and plant extracts into my own signature inks. It would be significant to me, my people and my homeland. It would be like having a piece of Badu in your home.”
— Matilda Nona
