AIONA TALA GAIDAN

Aiona (Tala) Gaidan's imagery is unique and unmistakeable.

His line work is both sensuous and lyrical and strong and forthright -  and he has an unerring ability to know when to fill the space - and when to stand back and let just a few elements speak.

Tala's use of patterning frequently hides and reveals other shapes and images, layering the elements of story so that full meaning is revealed only upon close inspection by the viewer.

Shapes and patterns swirl together to form a wholistic image, which on closer examination reveal the reverence he holds for his family Totems and the land and seascapes of Badu.

Tala is known for his beautiful depictions of the Zugubaw Baydham Navigation Story in both lino and monoprint, work he will further explore in animation in 2025.

He also frequently depicts the four hills of Moa Island in his work - a view all people on Badu see every day - before the hills melt into the shape of Dhangal (Dugong) playing in the ocean, or of crocodiles forming the backbone and structure of his work.

Tala is Badu's Master Printer and his craft is highly regarded.

In October 2024 he was invited to be the Collaborative Printer with Dian Darmansjah for the Linear Horizons project, an international collaboration between FNQ and the Philippines artists.

Dedicated and still young, his attention to detail and refusal to accept anything less than excellence is evident not only in his own work - but also in the work he prints for others.

Tala takes enormous care of the press, and sets up each edition so that the work is sharp, without ink-fill or excess bleeding and is kept pristine.

Tala is also actively engaged with the selection of print to comprise the edition, and oversees the destruction of any images not considered to be high enough in quality to 'make the grade'.

Unlike some Art Centres - where the Master Printer is flown in to produce the printed work - work created on Badu by Badu Artists is also printed by a Badu Artist, making the work 'perfectly' authentic. Perfectly Badu.