The Australian National Maritime Museum has launched a major collaboration with acclaimed artist Brian Robinson on a new exhibition titled Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide).
A Waiben (Thursday Island) artist who also has Maluyligal and Wuthathi heritage, Robinson's work explores imagery drawn from ancestral iconography of the Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait). He uniquely interweaves this with images from popular culture and science fiction.
Robinson uses these references as metaphors of colonisation, playfully juxtaposing the ancient and modern to create powerful allegories which examine the moral and psychological impacts of how empire has reshaped ideas about Australia's future.
Robinson is of the Kala Lagaw Ya and Wuthathi language groups of the Torres Strait.
Now Cairns-based, he is known for printmaking and public sculptures in which he uses a variety of techniques to produce bold, innovative and distinctive works.
Robinson's work has contributed significantly to his home environs of Cairns through a number of major public art installations, including his monumental and iconic stainless steel woven sculptures installed on the Cairns Esplanade in 2003.
"I work in a diverse range of media, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, design and public art, to produce works of art that echo my Indigenous heritage," Robinson said.
"My creations are seemingly incongruous concoctions where many motifs and characters are co-opted into the spirit world of the Islander imagination, which are then intertwined with historical narrative, personal history and humour."
Australian National Maritime Museum Manager of Indigenous Programs, Matt Poll, said Robinson's work is a living document of resilience.
"Brian's art shows the living, evolving, maritime worlds of Zenadth Kes. It is not just aesthetically compelling; it is a living document of resilience," he said.
"It celebrates the survival of ancient traditions, demonstrates the power of adaptation, reclaims historical narratives, and asserts a confident, contemporary Zenadth Kes identity."
Robinson's work is an inspiration to many people today. It shows that, despite historical challenges, ancestral knowledges are an important talisman that can be used by community to thrive, innovate, and tell their own powerful stories to the modern world.
Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide) is a multi-disciplinary exhibition spanning printmaking, sculpture, video and graphic design. It is a complex tapestry woven from traditional knowledge, historical narratives, and a keen engagement with the contemporary globalised world.
Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide) opens on September 11 at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
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