EDUCATION RESOURCE
LOCATION
The Torres Strait Islands are
located between Cape York —
the northernmost point
of the Australian mainland — and
Papua New Guinea.
Do you have friends or family
from this region of Australia?
Find a map of the Torres Strait.
How many islands are in the
Strait?
Choose an island you’d like to
visit. What is its traditional
name?
As you walk through the
exhibition, note of the different
ways of making art used by the
people of the Torres Strait. How
many styles can you see?
From The Torres Strait Islands, Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2011, p.6.
INTRODUCTION
People from the Torres Strait Islands have made art,
told stories and sung songs about the islands for many
years. The land, the sea and the sky are very
important to their way of life, and these themes often
appear in works by artists from this region.
Dennis Nona is an artist who has incorporated all three
in this art work. What aspects of land, sea and sky can
you identify?
Dennis Nona / Kala Lagaw Ya people / Australia QLD b.1973 / Malu lag a dapar – A
urungu aidal (Sea, land and air creatures) 2000 / Linocut, hand-coloured on BFK Rives
Dennis
Nona
/ Kala Lagaw
people
lag a dapar
A urungu aidal
land and air
paper,
ed.42/75,
secondYa
state
/ 87 b.1973
x 50cm // Malu
Purchased
2002.-Queensland
Art (Sea,
Gallery
creatures)
2000/ /Collection:
Linocut, hand-coloured
on Gallery
BFK Rives paper, ed. 42/75, second state / 87 x 50cm /
Foundation
Queensland Art
Purchased 2002. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
LAND
‘Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary
Art of the Torres Strait Islands’
shows how important these
elements of nature are to Torres
Strait Islanders and how their art is
often influenced by the environment.
The position of stars and planets
indicates a time to cultivate, plant or
harvest. Torres Strait Island elders
observe the sky closely, noting
connections between the stars, the
weather and the tides that signal the
change in seasons. This customary
knowledge is still used, enabling
Islanders to live safely and
sustainably.
Erub (Darnley Island)
Image courtesy: Queensland Art Gallery
Image Archive
WEAVING IN THE TORRES STRAIT
Watch the video to
learn more about
traditional Torres
Strait Island weaving
techniques.
What are some of the weave
variations you can see?
List the traditional and
synthetic materials used
by weavers.
Sarah Stephen / Erubam Le people b.1950 / Bos epei (Food mat) 1998 (l) /
Woven coconut leaf / 1999.8 / Bos epei (Food basket) 1998 (r) / Woven
coconut leaf / 1999.93 / Purchased with funds from the Visual Arts Craft Board
of the Australia Council 1998 / City of Townsville Art Collection
JENNIFER MYE JR
Jennifer Mye Jr weaves attractive, durable
baskets using multi-coloured tape. She creates
patterns derived from traditional weaves and is
also inspired by Pacific Island techniques.
What flags are represented in Jennifer Mye Jr’s
work?
Have you been taught a method or technique
by a family member which you could
incorporate into an art work?
Jennifer Mye Jr was taught to weave by
her mother, Jenny Mye. Jenny is also an
artist, and is well known for her
meticulous weaving and innovative
approach to art.
Jennifer Mye Jr / Meriam Mir people / Australia QLD b.1984 / Basket with short handles
2011 / Woven polypropylene tape (blue with Australian flag motif) / Purchased 2011
with funds from Thomas Bradley through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation /
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
GEORGE NONA
George Nona is known for his skill in
making dhoeris and for reviving
designs that often haven’t been seen
in almost a century. Most importantly,
he consults with the elders in his
community to test cultural authenticity
of the designs.
What other cultures create
headdresses and dance costumes for
ceremonies and rituals?
George Nona / Kala Lagaw Ya people / Australia QLD b.1971 /
Ceremonial Dhoeri 2008 / Cane, bamboo, string with natural pigment,
beeswax, shell, seed, eagle, cassowary and pheasant feathers /
Purchased 2009. The Queensland Government’s Gallery of Modern
Art Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
George Nona made these headdresses as art works.
Examine this photograph of a dance group from Erub wearing their traditional headdresses.
Torres Strait Islanders used cassowary feathers to trade with the people of Papua New Guinea.
What other items were traded?
Find a photograph of a Native American headdress.
What’s similar about this and George Nona’s dhoeri?
WATCH
Listen to George
Nona’s video.
What is the significance
of the materials used to
create the dhoeris?
What does the number of
feathers used indicate?
The Saam Karem Ira Kodo Mer Dance Troop
from Erub (Darnley Island) performing the ‘Au
Seuwiri Ermare’ canoe dance, meaning ‘To go
out to Seu Reef and spear the biggest silver
mullet there’, at Winds of Zenadth Cultural
Festival on Thursday Island, September 2010 /
Composer/Music/Choreography: Kapua
Gutchen Sr / Photograph: Bruce McLean
JAMES ESELI
Ubirikubiri is an ancestral spirit figure
from the Torres Strait in the form of a
crocodile, and its accompanying song
and dance come from Mabuiag Island.
In the performance, the crocodile and
villagers act out their roles: the
crocodile is alert and looking for prey
while the villagers watch from a safe
distance.
Here you can see the small sanderling
birds, believed to have a connection
with crocodiles: they are sometimes
seen on the backs of the reptiles.
DID YOU KNOW ...?
Due to the fears of Japan invading Australia during World War
Two, the late James Eseli was one of many Torres Strait Island
children taken from his home island to the safety of Waiben
(Thursday Island). This relocation had an effect on the artist
which can be seen in some of his other works in the exhibition.
Does your family have traditions and
stories which have been passed down
from previous generations?
James Eseli / Kala Lagaw Ya people / Australia QLD 1929–2009
/ Ubirikubiri (crocodile) headdress 2004 / Cotton tree wood,
enamel paint, pencil, feathers, plastic, raffia, copper wire,
toothpicks, lead pencil, string, fixative, aluminium, glass marbles
/ Purchased 2005. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant /
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
LAND ACTIVITIES
Research the traditional ways Torres Strait Islanders examine the positions of the
stars and planets to assist them on the land. See if you can find out when it is a
good time to cultivate, plant or harvest. Are these times of year supported by
contemporary gardening methods today?
Fans, baskets, bags and bowls — what other practical things are created by
weaving?
Mark where you live on a map of Australia. Calculate how far it is from where you
live to Erub (Darnley Island). Find Erub on Google Maps, view it via satellite and
describe the landscape.
Create a collage using natural elements collected from your school or backyard.
Can you arrange these items in an interesting way? What materials will you use?
What message about your life do you want to reflect?
SEA
As well as being a source of
food and enjoyment, Torres
Strait waters can be
dangerous. For Islanders,
survival often depends on the
ability to read the currents, the
wind, and the moods of the
sea.
Basic sea foods are readily
available and inspire songs or
dances — the image of a lone
fisher with his net flying
through the air, or the silvery
sheen of fish scales, evoke
tranquillity, grace and beauty.
The Torres Strait
Image courtesy: Queensland Art Gallery
Image Archive
MAHNAH ANGELA TORENBEEK
Mahnah Angela Torenbeek lives in an astonishing old bakery filled with craft and colour.
The crumbling original brick oven and objects collected from the beach nearby sit happily alongside
her eccentric furniture, such as a table made from stacked truck tyres with a tabletop that happened to
float her way.
What types of materials do you
find in your natural environment
which could be used in weaving?
Research GhostNets Australia.
What environmental issues are
relevant to your life?
How could you help to remove
this problem?
DID YOU KNOW ...?
Mahnah Angela Torenbeek / Wagalgai people / Australia QLD b.1942 / Ghost net basket (detail) 2011 / Coilwoven polypropylene fibre / Purchased 2011 with funds from Thomas Bradley through the Queensland Art
Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
One of the largest nets found to
date, in the Gulf of Carpentaria,
was a Taiwanese gill net over six
kilometres long and weighing six
tonnes.
ROSIE BARKUS
Rosie Barkus works from her home studio on
Waiben (Thursday Island).
Her printed textile prints highlight the protection of
Australia’s northern borders by more than 800
Torres Strait men during the war in the Pacific
(1942–45) and the lives of the women and children
they left behind; the fate of sailors shipwrecked in
dangerous Torres Strait waters, beheaded by local
warriors; and the history and influence of the
pearling, trochus, bêche-de-mer and crayfishing
industries that have dominated the Torres Strait
economy in the last century.
Bêche-de-mer are sea cucumbers. Have you ever
seen one? Find out more about this creature.
Think about the process used to make these prints.
Find the name of a major shipwreck in the Torres
Strait. How did it happen?
WATCH
Rosie Barkus / Muralug people / Australia QLD b.1959 / Shipwrecks 2011 / Commercial cotton
fabric, block and screenprinted, fabric paint / Commissioned for ‘Land, Sea and Sky:
Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands’ / Purchased 2011 with funds from Thomas
Bradley through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Listen to Rosie Barkus as she discusses the
imagery in her fabric prints.
KEVIN O’BRIEN
Kevin O’Brien’s Family tree 2011 is based on an
image of the buoys that hang from almond trees
along the shore of Kirriri (Hammond Island), in
front of his auntie and uncle’s place. Underneath
the buoys are a fireplace and some benches
with a view of the water. This is a good setting
for all kinds of conversations.
If you were to create a three-dimensional
representation of your family tree, how would
you do it? What materials would you use?
WATCH
Take a closer look at Kevin’s ancestry and the
meaning of his art work, Family tree 2011.
What names and symbols can you see?
Kevin O’Brien / Meriam Mir/Kaurareg peoples b.1972 / Family tree (installation views)
2011 / Marine polystyrene floats, stainless steel cable, timber, paint, polyethylene
netting / Commissioned for ‘Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres
Strait Islands’ / Courtesy: The artist
The original family tree on Kirriri (Hammond Island) / Photograph: Kevin O’Brien
KEN THAIDAY SR
Ken Thaiday Sr grew up on Erub
(Darnley Island), in the eastern Torres
Strait. There, he learned about the
habits of Beizam, the hammerhead
shark, and was taught the songs and
dances related to it. Recognising the
supremacy of Beizam in Torres Strait
waters, Thaiday has said:
I call it Beizam, the symbol
of Law and Order,
because he is the king of
the water and no-one else;
you see, this is their
territory . . .
What adjectives would you use to
describe this headdress?
Billy Missi / Kala Lagaw Ya people / Australia QLD b.1970 / Kulba yadail (Old lyrics) 2006 / Linocut on paper,
ed.16/90 / Purchased 2009 with funds from Xstrata Community Partnership Program Queensland through the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
SEA ACTIVITIES
Printmaking. Create your own stencil with a piece of lino (10 x 10cm) and
carve a pattern into this based on the Brisbane River. Roll paint over the lino
and press it onto fabric to create your print. Use the fabric to make your own
simple library book bag.
As a class, create choreography about the seas of Moreton Bay, or
near where you live. For example, it could be a battle scene, or you may
choose to be a type of sea creature. Include props, music, and dance
movements.
Research your family origins. Design your family tree in light of an
important event in your family’s history. For example, were your ancestors
farmers, shearers or city dwellers? Did they fight in any of the World Wars?
Did they live abroad?
SKY
The skies of the Torres Strait
are closely observed by the
elders. They note the multiple
connections between the stars,
the wind, rain, tides and other
signs from nature that usher in
the seasons and seasonal
activities.
Men tell by stars and tide the
right time to hunt; they must
also foretell the weather before
they set out to sea, and
observe the movements of
birds such as waumer
(frigatebird) and gainau (Torres
Strait pigeon).
Fish traps, Erub
Image courtesy: Queensland Art Gallery
Image Archive
ALICK TIPOTI
Alick Tipoti was born on Waiben (Thursday Island). Tipoti seeks his elders’ permission to retell
narratives of earlier times, when warrior heroes reigned. His starkly contrasting art works are both eyecatching and mesmerising, and are often inspired by the traditional motifs once inscribed on ritual
artefacts.
WATCH
Listen to Alick Tipoti talk
about his ancestors and
mural.
Alick Tipoti / Kala Lagaw Ya people / Australia
QLD b.1975 / Kaygasiw-Usul (Trail of dust
underwater created by the shovel nose shark) …
Milky way 2011 / Mural / 7.5 x 53.48m /
Commissioned for ‘Land, Sea and Sky:
Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands’ /
Courtesy: The artist
A long time ago there were no stars . . .
The Kaygas slowly swims in shallow waters along the sandbank
at low tide . . .
When disturbed, it takes off creating a murky dusty trail . . .
In the pitch dark the trail is lit up by Zagu (phosphorescence) . . .
Suddenly this activity is reflected up to the Heavens . . .
A trail of stars is created . . .
This is known to my people as the ‘Kaygasiw-Usul’ . . .
Alick Tipoti, 2011
BILLY MISSI
Woodcarving is one of the most important art forms in
the Torres Strait, as it is in many Pacific cultures.
Masters would carve many ceremonial and utilitarian
items and decorate them in the rhythmic patterning
known as minaral. Today, many young Islander men
apply these skills to printmaking.
Kulba Yadail (the swaying pattern that runs
diagonally from the top left to the bottom
right) teaches us to read the stars, the
moon and the sea . . . it describes our
environment, our culture and also our
identity.
Billy Missi, 2006
Describe the artist’s depiction of the sky in relation to
this quote.
Billy Missi / Kala Lagaw Ya people b.1970 / Kulba yadail (Old lyrics) 2006 / Linocut on paper,
ed. 16/90 / 84.7 x 47.8cm | Purchased 2009 with funds from Xstrata Community Partnership
Program Queensland through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection:
Queensland Art Gallery
SEGAR PASSI
In his paintings, Segar Passi
documents aspects of the knowledge
held by Islanders that allows them to
read the weather.
Safety at sea is paramount for any
island dweller, and Passi learnt from
an early age to read signs of rips and
whirlpools, tides and currents, and
their intimate relationship with the
movements of the stars and planets.
From cloud formations, Passi can
even foretell sad family news.
Look outside and describe the sky.
Identify the different types of clouds
you can see.
Predict the weather for tomorrow and
then see how accurate your
predictions are.
What methods do scientists use today
to make weather predictions?
Segar Passi / Meriam Mir people / Australia QLD b.1942 / Irmerira baz 2011 / Synthetic polymer paint
on paper / Commissioned for ‘Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands’ /
Purchased 2011 with funds from Anne Best through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation /
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
SKY ACTIVITIES
Study the sky at the same time each day for five days. In small groups,
develop a soundtrack for the weather using a computer program. Play the
score back to the class.
Select an artist from the exhibition and present a talk about the way he or
she addresses traditional stories and practices.
Choose one island in the Torres Strait and research the way people live and
work there.
Create a three-dimensional representation of the sky. You might like to think
about the following elements:
• colour
• cloud patterns
• light
• time of day — sunrise, morning, noon, sunset
• weather — raining, sunny, cloudy, windy
CURRICULUM
INFORMATION
Visual Art
Students will:
• analyse the structure, content and
technical features of Torres Strait Island art
works to understand characteristics of
personal style
• consider the ways Torres Strait Islander
artists use imagery from traditional and
cultural artefacts
Studies of society
and the environment
Students will:
•consider how Torres Strait Islander
identities are influenced by different factors,
including family, communities, nationality,
socioeconomic factors and cultural beliefs
Media
Students will:
• discuss the ways photographs are created and
positioned (e.g., ‘real’ versus constructed)
• think about how still and moving images, sounds
and words are used to construct and reconstruct
meaning
• examine representations of Torres Strait Islander
people, places, events, ideas
and emotions, and the ways these are constructed
and influenced by different beliefs and ideas
English
Students will:
• evaluate the ways stories and narratives in art
relate to historical events or objects (i.e.,
allegorical and symbolic details)
• demonstrate and analyse the relationships
between audience, subject matter, purpose and
text type
• consider how texts can reflect points of view,
beliefs and cultural understandings
• examine the way non-literary texts entertain,
evoke emotion and develop theme
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