Ken Thaiday Snr. Beizam headdress, (Shark with bait fish) 1995. Plywood, enamel paint, wire, feathers, shark’s teeth, string. 72 x 90.5 x 67.8cm (irreg.) Purchased 1995. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Reproduced by permission, from the Collection of the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
Carriageworks and Performance Space have commissioned the largest installation presented by renowned Torres Strait Island artist Ken Thaiday Snr.
The exhibition will run from Friday 3 October to 23 November at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh. This this exhibition, the artist will present a major new installation accompanied by a series of new dance works, inspired by the landscape of the Torres Strait and the importance of family, faith and culture. Thaiday’s work explores the intersection of traditional lore with contemporary life. The installation will showcase the range of the artist’s works, traversing dance, installation and kinetic sculpture as he blends traditional cultural customs with modern materials.
Ken Thaiday was born in Erub (Darnley Island) in 1950. Over the last two decades, Thaiday’s work has received international acclaim. Known for his extraordinary headdresses — also called dance machines — Thaiday’s practice is interwoven with the traditional song and dance of the Torres Strait taught to him by his father, the choreographer and cultural leader Tat Thaiday. The dance machines are made to be worn or held by a dancer and are activated by an intricate system of internal pulleys. They animate the songs and stories of communities whose culture is inseparable from the land and life of the Torres Strait.
For the exhibition at Carriageworks, Thaiday has choreographed three new works which will be performed by Torres Strait Islander dancers at the launch, and again at a special public program where the artist will speak about his work. Additionally, a new scorpion and crayfish sculpture will be shown alongside existing works including a frigatebird and biezam hammerhead shark headdresses – the artist’s family totem.
Artist Talk and Performance
Come along on Saturday 4 October from 11am – 12pm to hear Ken Thaiday speak about his work, plus see a special performance Torres Strait dance troupe Erub Kebile, choreographed by the artist.
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