Ken Thaiday Snr

Ken Thaiday (born 1950), known as Ken Thaiday Snr, is an artist from Erub (Darnley Island), one of the Torres Strait Islands. He is known for his headdresses (dhari), masks, shark totems and kinetic sculptures, which connect to his island traditions and culture.

Early life and influences Thaiday was born in 1950 on Erub, of the Meriam Mir people of Torres Strait Island.

Thaiday's father, Tat Thaiday, was a cultural leader, choreographer, songwriter and gardener,

Thaiday attended school on Thursday Island until he was fifteen, when he and his family settled in Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia. He worked for Queensland Rail for over ten years, and also in the mining industry in the Pilbara in Western Australia. The experience in assembling and dissembling machinery later influenced his sculptures with moving parts.

Beliefs and community activities

Thaiday leads and participates in many important community events in the Islands, such as The Coming of the Light (when Christianity arrived on Erub in the form of the London Missionary Society in 1871 ), holding the position of Chairman for five years. He is deeply religious and attributes the inspiration for and development of his creative works to God. His works often feature painted depictions of Kernus, the landing place of the missionaries, and the church on Erub.

He later started working in a more contemporary style, often using modern materials, such as plastic, plywood and paint, along with traditional materials such as bamboo and feathers.

Exhibitions and gallery holdings Thaiday's work has been showcased in over 50 exhibitions, in Australian and international galleries, including: Queensland Art Gallery; National Museum of Australia; Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory; Musée des Confluences, France; National Gallery of Australia; Parliament House Art Collection in Canberra; Queensland Museum; Art Gallery of NSW; Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK; Museum of Victoria; the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney; and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

In 2014, Thaiday presented a major installation, which included a huge sculpture and new dances, at Carriageworks in Sydney. In 2016 he collaborated on with Jason Christopher on a number of daris, for the Taba Naba exhibition at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. In the same year he was invited to exhibit in Sydney Biennale, for which he again collaborated with Christopher. His work was included in National Gallery's 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial, Defying Empire, in 2017.