Badhulgaw Kuthinaw Mudh

Torres Strait Islander Art from Badu Island
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Home / Artists / ZACHARIA GAIDAN

Every time I go out in my dinghy I see these creatures: they are beautiful, swimming around in the sea.

— ZACHARIA GAIDAN

ZACHARIA GAIDAN

2 February 1984

I went to high school in Cairns, Emmanuelle College and studied art in Years 8 and 9.

After that I went to Shalom College in Townsville and did some large-scale drawings.

I have always been drawing at home, mainly sea creatures from the Torres Strait.

I use the drawings of these sea creatures in my lino designs. Every time I go out in my dinghy I see these creatures: they are beautiful, swimming around in the sea.

I would really like to make a successful career out of being an artist, maybe make enough money to buy a house down south, and a car.

I would also like to have the respect that goes with being successful, meeting lots of different people from the art world.

The art centre on Badu will give me an opportunity to realise these dreams, at the moment it’s running really well, but I am looking forward to our new building and a bigger press so I can make big prints like the Alick Tipoti have done.

I also like to do woodcarving and screen-printing. I have many designs in my head, I don’t need to look at other people’s work to get ideas but I like working at the art centre, I enjoy teaching the other students how to use the press and how to print properly.