Zenadh Kes refers to the Torres Strait Islands and means people of the land, sea and sky. Drawn from the Gallery’s Collection, works in this exhibition are inspired by Zenadh Kes cosmology.

Alick Tipoti was born in 1975 on Waiben (Thursday Island) in Maluilgal (Western Torres Strait). His traditional name is Zugub and he is an activist of the Kala Lagaw Ya people from Badu Island. Tipoti’s totems are Thupmul (file ray), linking him to Badu Island, and Koedal (crocodile) related to nearby Mabuiag Island.

Tipoti’s range of media spans linocut printmaking, sculpture, choreography, and the performance of traditional Zenadh Kes dances and songs. His works demonstrate the powerful interconnections between these artforms and the celestial symbolism they represent.

The sustainability of life on the islands of Zenadh Kes depends on age-old knowledge of nature’s cycles. Wind patterns, ocean currents and the positioning of stars in various seasons guide the timing of hunting and collecting food. Trading expeditions to other islands were directed by the celestial navigation of Zenadh Kes sailors venturing to Papua New Guinea coastlines and the Cape York mainland. This knowledge of cosmology is passed down through generations in mythological narratives known to custodians such as Tipoti, who through contemporary art plays a significant role in their preservation for Zenadh Kes people.

The focus of this exhibition is printmaking, which became an important contemporary Torres Strait Islander art movement in the mid-1990s and is based on traditional wood and shell carving designs. Tipoti’s carving expertise is deployed by finely incising the blocks of lino that that reflect his reverence for Zenadh Kes traditions and the spiritual ancestors that guide him.

When I work late at night carving traditional designs, I can sense the presence of the spirits who I verbally acknowledge and thank in language for their guidance and help in visualising the words they have given me. I vividly remember an unusual event late one evening when I was guided to resketch and change the interpretation of a block I was about to carve. This was just one of the many occasions when I have connected with the Zugubal who have instructed me on the proper ways of our cultural traditions.

Alick Tipoti, New Works by Alick Tipoti, Australian Art Print Network, 2004, p. 1-2