Bamaga and Torres Strait Islander artist Anzak Newman showcases his unique carving and painting combination to Cairns audiences. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.
Stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples come together in a colourful showcase of cultural diversity at the 11th Freshwater Saltwater exhibition at UMI Arts in Cairns.
The highly-anticipated exhibition features 36 works, including paintings, artefacts and jewellery from a diverse lineup of artists from cultural groups from across Queensland, including Cape York and the Torres Strait.
According to UMI Arts artistic director Lisa Michl Ko-manggén, the exhibition’s name reflects a metaphorical ideology of Far North Queensland’s two distinct and diverse cultures.
“From a purely artistic perspective, Freshwater Saltwater is a nod to mainland Aboriginal custodians who are mostly connected to ‘freshwater’, while Torres Strait Islanders find a closer association to ‘saltwater’,” Ms Michl ko-manngén said.
“This year’s beautiful and thought-provoking collection of artwork and jewellery represents the flowing together of our peoples’ cultures and stories, from rainforest to desert to island.”
Representing his connection with Bamaga and the Torres Strait was exhibitor Anzak Newman, who is sharing his unique combination of painting and carving at the Cairns gallery.
“My ancestors, they were natural carvers and a lot of the artists from the region do the lino printing,” he explained.
“I like acrylic painting and lino printing, so I wanted to combine that with the carving in one piece.”
Detailed curves of natural wood carved into a beautiful combination of colours representing the natural environment showcased animals significant to the Torres Strait, such as sharks and turtles.
“Always in my art I try to tell stories about the sea, because my people are saltwater people, and these works in this exhibition, the animals are significant to my people,” Mr Newman said.
“The colours [I use] normally relate to the colours surrounding the region, [representing] the oceans and islands with the greens and blues.”
At his second Freshwater Saltwater exhibition, Mr Newman told Cape York Weekly it was an honour to share the stories of his people with a wider audience.
“UMI, for many years now, have represented a lot of artists coming through, especially artists starting out, and it’s good to be a part of a different show every year with different artists,” he said.
“You feel very proud of yourself and we are very lucky to have a place like UMI to help us showcase our work and provide a space where a wide audience can see our work.”
