Maria Kynigos
Casuarina Senior College
Garramilla / Darwin
Dirladada (dir- la- tha- da) 2025
watercolour, fine liner, acrylic marker, watercolour paper
70 x 90 cm
Dirladada is a popular Greek song sponge divers sang in the 1950s during their journeys out to sea. My great papou (grandpa) Giordanis Pizanias was born in 1921 on the island of Kalymnos in Scalia. He was from a large family with at least 11 siblings and a stepbrother. Back then, there were many orphaned children whose fathers were sponge divers. He was extremely lucky to have survived from his time as a sponge diver.
Drawing inspiration from the work of Bronwyn Dann, Arthur Rackham, Chrysanthos Mentis Bostantzoglou, Marc Chagall and Frida Kahlo, I worked to depict Kalymnos and sponge-diving life. I wanted to draw attention to the marine flora and fauna, traditional women’s and men’s clothing, and hint towards emotional symbolism of sponge diving. I also wanted to represent the societal expectations of Kalymnos during that era – the women taking care of domestic duties and the masculine values expected of Kalymnian men.
This year will continue the exhibition’s three dacade legacy of highlighting the importance of visual arts education and the role of arts educators in encouraging and guiding the creativity of young NT artists in preparation for their futures.
Exit Art is jointly presented by MAGNT and the Northern Territory Department of Educationn and Training.
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