Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery

‘When I work late at night carving traditional designs, I can sense the presence of the spirits...vividly remember an unusual event late one evening where I was guided to re-sketch 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

Alick Tipoti is a native of the Torres Strait Islands, the tiny archipelago set between the northern most tip of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Born in 1975, he is one of the leading exponents of the remarkable Torres Strait Island print-making movement that has sprung up over the last decade. Drawing on the ancient board-carving traditions - and the mythic tales - of his people, Tipoti creates virtuoso linocuts of extraordinary complexity and power. His subject matter is the creation stories of the Torres Strait Islands, the tales of the spirit ancestors, legendary warriors and fantastical beasts who formed that world and its riches.

Tipoti's genius was recognized when he won the prestigious Lin Onus Prize at Australia's National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards in 1998. He has since exhibited at both the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, and the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. This is his first solo show outside
Australia.

For more information please contact Ellie at Ellie@rebeccahossack.com