Lin Onus facts for kids

Lin Onus (born William McLintock Onus) was an amazing Australian artist. He was born on December 4, 1948, and passed away on October 23, 1996. Lin Onus had both Scottish and Aboriginal heritage. His father, Bill Onus, was a well-known activist.

Early Life and Art Journey

Lin Onus was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Bill Onus, was a Yorta Yorta man. Bill Onus was a very important leader. He helped start the Aboriginal Advancement League. He also worked hard for the 1967 referendum. This referendum gave the national government more power to help Aboriginal people.

Lin went to school in Melbourne. He was mostly a self-taught artist. After leaving high school, he worked as a mechanic. Later, he helped his father make items for tourists. This was part of his father's business, Aboriginal Enterprise Novelties. This early work helped him develop his artistic skills.

Lin Onus's Art Style

Lin Onus became a very successful artist. He created paintings, sculptures, and prints. His art often mixed traditional Aboriginal styles with modern ideas. He used symbols from Aboriginal painting in new ways.

One special technique he learned was called rarrk. This is a cross-hatching style of painting. He learned this from Indigenous communities in Maningrida in 1986. He was given permission to use this style in his own art.

His paintings often showed the beautiful red gum forests of Barmah. This area was his father's ancestral land.

Famous Artwork: Michael and I are just slipping down to the pub for a minute

One of Lin Onus's most famous paintings is called Michael and I are just slipping down to the pub for a minute. This painting even appeared on a postcard! It shows a dingo riding on the back of a stingray.

This image is full of meaning. The dingo and stingray represent his mother's and father's cultures coming together. It shows a message of peace and understanding. The wave in the painting is inspired by a famous Japanese artwork. It comes from The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.

Awards and Recognition

Lin Onus received many important awards for his art:

• 1993: He became a Member of the Order of Australia. This was for his great work as a painter and sculptor. It also recognized his efforts to support other Aboriginal artists.
• 1994: He won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Art Award. He won this for his painting Barmah Forest.
• 2012: He was added to the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll. This honor recognized his lasting impact.

Art Exhibitions

After Lin Onus passed away, a big exhibition of his art was held. It was called Urban Dingo: The Art of Lin Onus (Burrinja) 1948-1996. This show took place at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney in 2000. His family helped to organize this special event.

His artworks are also part of major collections. These include the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Holmes à Court Collection.

Lin Onus and Film

Lin Onus was involved in a film called Blackfire in 1972. He was credited for the sound production. For a long time, people thought this was the first film made by an Indigenous Australian. However, in 2021, a short film made by Lin's father, Bill Onus, in 1946 was discovered. This discovery changed the earlier belief.

Legacy and Family

Lin Onus sadly passed away suddenly in 1996 from a heart attack. He was 47 years old. His ashes were scattered at the Cummeragunja cemetery.

To honor his memory, a special award was renamed after him. The youth award in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Art Award became the Lin Onus Youth Prize in 1998.

A Special Apology

In 2000, Lin Onus received a special apology. The principal of Balwyn High School, Peter Bond, apologized to Lin Onus. This apology was given after Lin's death. It was for expelling him from school many years earlier. This was part of a bigger effort for reconciliation in Australia.

Lin Onus had three children. One of his sons, Tiriki Onus, is also an artist. Tiriki is an opera singer and filmmaker. He made a documentary film about his grandfather, Bill Onus, called Ablaze. In this film, Tiriki shares how he found his grandfather's 1946 film. Tiriki Onus is now the head of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development. This center is at the Victorian College of the Arts.