Mornington Island Wrapping Paper with “Dibirdibi Man” Artwork by Joseph Watt

Joseph Watt, born 1937, is a Lardil man from Barrakiah country in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. He paints at Mornington Island Art. As a young man Watts travelled throughout Queensland for work before returning to Mornington Island and joining the internationally renowned Mornington Island Dancers. He toured around Australia with the Dancers for many years, before beginning to paint at the Art Centre alongside other senior male artists.

Artwork details: Dibirdibi man, 2006, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 1210 x 910 mm.

Artwork story: These are my totem’s body stripes I paint on my body when I paint up as Dibirdibi – the river rock cod.

Blak Flair is a KickArts creative merchandise project that has been generously supported by the Christensen Fund. The project aims to develop a collection of merchandise that portrays the work of Indigenous artists from Far North Queensland, to promote their work and cultural importance to the broader community.