Jimmy John Thaiday
Erub, Torres Strait, Qld
"What has gone before runs through the land, sea and sky. The lines that connect us with stories are solid yet changing. Beyond these lines, we make pathways for tomorrow.
The sea currents pass through me as blood pulses through my veins. My skin is the landscape from which I am moulded and as I watch my totem fly through the air I cannot separate myself from my islands, family, our tribes, my culture."
About the Artist
Jimmy John Thaiday is a Kuz and Peiudu artist from Erub in the Torres Strait Islands. The waumer (frigate bird) is his totem.
Jimmy is one of several artists from Erub who have incorporated ghost nets � abandoned fishing nets � into their artistic practice. Working collaboratively or solo, Jimmy turns this coastal pollution into art. These woven sculptures represent his personal experiences, cultural stories, and environmental issues such as the increasing impacts of climate change on the Torres Strait Islands. As someone who spends much time fishing and walking the reefs, Jimmy is acutely aware of the movements of sea creatures and the changes within the environment.
His art practice extends into filmmaking, which furthers his ability to express his identity and culture, and celebrate his relationship to lands, sea, and sky.
Jimmy�s work has been exhibited in Europe and Asia, and is held in the collections of the Australian National Maritime Museum and National Museum of Australia. In 2018, Jimmy won the Best 3D Work at the Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards and was highly commended in these awards in 2015 and 2017. He was a finalist in the 2021 Telstra NATSIAA as part of the Erub Arts Collective.
