Lin Onus was a pioneer of contemporary Aboriginal art, representing a generation of artists whose work captured the urban experience of indigenous people through a distinctly Australian iconography. As an activist for indigenous rights, Onus’ father invested his son with a similar concern for politics and social equality.
Read MoreLin Onus was a self-taught artist, by chance finding watercolour painting materials at his father’s shop which retailed tourist trade artefacts. Onus’ earliest works were realist landscapes of the area in Upwey where he grew up. In 1975 he held his first solo exhibition at the Aborigines Advancement League in Melbourne, establishing a cultural and political environment that would characterise his work.
Onus’ paintings and sculptures encompass a humour and political intention, generous in their consideration of Aboriginal and European heritage and accessible to a wide audience. For example, the Dingoes Series in 1989 drew an analogy between the instinctive survival of indigenous species and the necessity of adaptation to imposed environments.
A tribute exhibition of his work was held at the Bunjilaka Gallery, Museum of Victoria (2000). His work is held in the Burrinja Sherbrooke in Victoria and the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
