Jimmy J Thaiday has shared his artistic and powerful use of marine debris with creatives across the world. Photo: Erub Arts.
An award-winning Erub artist and filmmaker who sends a strong message about the marine environment will lead a two-week workshop in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA).
Jimmy J Thaiday will share the secrets behind his famous ghost net sculptures at the NPA Art Centre from 16-27 February, inspiring local creatives with recycled marine debris art.
Mr Thaiday is part of a resident artist collective at Erub Arts, where ghost net materials are used to create works from bags to large-scale art installations.
These works convey the message: “We are all connected by the oceans of the world, so we must all work together towards their protection”.
“My artwork gives me the opportunity to express the things that are important to me, my identity and culture,” he said.
“Currently, I am working with ghost nets and creating three-dimensional work.”
Mr Thaiday has been commissioned for his work across the world, with exhibitions from Thursday Island to Paris, London, and Miami.
The artist’s works are in collections from the National Museum of Australia to the Museum of Ethnography in Geneva.
Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council CEO Dalassa Yorkston said this workshop was the first major local event of the year to bring NPA’s creative communities together.
“Council is proudly showcasing the upgraded art centre as a major hub for educational and artistic pathways for community development in 2026,” she said.
Thursday Island residents turn an environmental threat into works of art. Photo: Erub Arts.
Mostly lost or abandoned by commercial fishing vessels operating globally, ghost nets can be kilometres long, weighing up to several tonnes each.
They can drift hundreds of kilometres, causing injury or death by entangling marine species, or wash ashore to litter remote and formerly pristine coastlines.
The Australian Government has announced a new program known as the Ghost Nets and Marine Debris Initiative to extend and expand on the achievements of previous initiatives using technology, Indigenous knowledge and strategic partnerships to continue to tackle the issue of ghost nets and plastic litter in the waters and beaches of northern Australia.
In the NPA, the Apudthuma Land and Sea Rangers program employs nine local rangers to protect the region’s natural resources across 250,000 hectares of traditional land and sea country, including 300 km of coastline and coastal islands. These rangers remove and record hundreds of tonnes of ghost nets annually.
Supported by Arts Queensland, the NPA Ghost Net Workshop will run from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday, from 16 to 27 February at NPA Art Centre, New Mapoon.
Bookings are essential. Interested locals can call 0474 985 569 or 07 4048 6608, or email [email protected].
Mr Thaiday’s ghost net sculptures were a huge hit at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.
