Linda Huddleston (1)
Artist: Linda Huddleston
Title: Dreaming
Size: 30 x 30 cm
Signed painting. Acrylic on canvas. Unstretched.
Bio:
Linda was born in Katoomba, NSW in 1969 and has connections to the Ngardi language group in the Roper River region of East Arnhem Land through her father's people and has cultural ties with Wiradjuri people of NSW through her mother's people from Talbragar, Dubbo.
The Roper River Mission was established in 1908 and became a local food and shelter point for people within a radius of several hundred kilometres whose traditional way of life had been severely disrupted. In 1968 the mission reverted to Aboriginal control and its name changed to Ngukurr. Her grandfather the late Harry Huddleston was a traditional owner from Burrungu, also known as the Ruin City. Linda's paintings are based on the custodial country and the stories associated with it. They depict in the traditional Raark or crosshatch design, totems and spirits relating to real life activities such as hunting, fishing, singing and dancing. These images form the teachings of the ancestors on survival and social infrastructure.
Her grandparents and father were moved from Groote Eylandt after the bombing of Darwin 1941 to Mulgoa, near Warragamba Dam. This was part of the government’s policy in forcing assimilation of Aboriginal people into mainstream society. Her grandmother Florence Croft was taken as a baby from her birthplace in the Tanami desert of Central Australia and adopted into Ngardi way of life. For this reason Linda has a connection to her Grandmother, Lily Nangala’s dreamings.