Torres Strait Islands: A Celebration

The devastating natural disasters that plagued many parts of the globe throughout the first half of 2011 caused an almost palpable despair among our population. With the horrific onslaught proving that Mother Nature is truly out of our control, many felt not only helpless, but hopeless.

The city of Brisbane is no stranger to storms, cyclones and floods, but the January 2011 floods caused damage to buildings and homes with such rapidity that even now, almost six months on, there is still disbelief that the heart of our city, the Brisbane River, was our enemy rather than our ally.

Brisbane’s Cultural Centre precinct, which includes the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Museum, State Library of Queensland, Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art, is located directly alongside the Brisbane River, and although all of the buildings survived the January floods, much of the hard work spent cleaning, repairing and restoring our Cultural Centre precinct was thanks to the simple yet powerful unity of people coming together. The power of the river was undeniable, but the power of people proved to be limitless.

Through the darkness of the past six months, Brisbane’s Cultural Centre precinct has realised the power of unity, the strength of coming together as one, and the triumph of honouring our differing cultures – and the best way to do this is of course with a celebration.

Torres Strait Islands: A Celebration is a collaborative project between Queensland’s major arts organisations in the Cultural Centre precinct, and brings together fine art, historical artefacts, performances, and cultural conversations that celebrate Torres Strait Island art and culture. Relatively few Australians are familiar with the Torres Strait region, a situation which this project seeks to change by encouraging people to explore the culture of the Islands. The project also celebrates the 140th anniversary of The Coming of the Light, an event which marked the arrival of the London Missionary Society at Erub (an island in the eastern Torres Strait) in 1871.

The Coming of the Light was a deeply significant event in Torres Strait history and the exhibition Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands at the Gallery of Modern Art features a number of works dedicated to the event, including the woven pandanus work Alag Capes and Masks by prominent Torres Strait artist Ken Thaiday Snr.

The traditional masks and capes are worn when dancing in community events celebrating The Coming of the Light, and when shown collectively in the gallery space they attempt to instil a spiritual element that connects the viewer not only with the artwork, but with the atmosphere of a cultural ceremony.

The exhibition also shows a collection of intricate headdresses, woven baskets and fish traps, jewellery, and printed textiles. Also exhibited are freeze frames by artist Destiny Deacon, taken from historical footage shot by Europeans at Erub in 1899; and beautifully intricate monochrome linocuts by artist Billy Missi. The historical footage used by Deacon presents the European way of recording history; when shown alongside an artistic format such as Missi’s linocuts, both works create the notion that each format of recording history and storytelling has the same intention and desire while still being culturally different in presentation.

This appears to be the overall feeling of not only the cultural project, but of The Coming of the Light – a celebration of cultural differences, similarities, and the unity of people.

Art from the Torres Strait is also represented in the exhibition Strait Home at the State Library of Queensland. Strait Home consists of three separate projects, the centrepiece of which is a digital installation featuring material from the State Library’s documentary collection (which holds some of the most significant Torres Strait Islander documentary material in Australia).

Also exhibited is a watercolour collection by Torres Strait Islander artists from the Philip Bacon Heritage Gallery, which has never before been shown collectively, and a showcase of the Dhoeri (or Dari) headdress which many would recognise from the Torres Strait flag. The Dhoeri exhibited are immaculately preserved ceremonial artefacts, often created with cane, feathers, seeds and paint, and thought of as the most recognisable symbol of the Torres Strait.

Traditional Dhoeri are also shown in Awakening: Stories from the Torres Strait at the Queensland Museum, along with a collection of spears, woven baskets, jewellery, masks and canoes. The museum collection is separated into different sections of Torres Strait culture such as ‘men’, ‘women’ and ‘family’, to define the importance of human relationships among the Torres Strait people. The three events that had a major impact on Torres Strait culture are also presented in the museum with artefacts and historical material that explores the first contact with Europeans, the arrival of the Christian missionaries, and the development of the pearl industry, all of which had significant social, religious and environmental impacts upon the land and the people.

The combination of contemporary and traditional Torres Strait art and artefacts throughout this collaborative project results in a saturation of culture and history that is at once humbling and inspiring. While tradition and culture contribute significantly to Torres Strait Islands: A Celebration, it is the people that create the greatest connection with viewers and promote the importance of coming together not just as individuals, but as family.

Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands
Gallery of Modern Art
July 1 – October 9

Strait Home
State Library of Queensland
July 1 – October 23

Awakening: Stories from the Torres Strait
Queensland Museum, South Bank

FULL IMAGE CAPTION: James Eseli / Kala Lagaw Ya people / 1929–2009 / Ubirikubiri (Crocodile) headdress 2004 / Cotton tree wood, enamel paint, pencil, feathers, PVC container, raffia, copper wire, toothpicks, string, PVA fixative, aluminium, glass marbles / Purchased 2005. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery