Multiverse

Multiverse, a solo exhibition by Torres Strait Islander artist Brian Robinson, is running at the Newcastle Art Gallery until August 30. It's a first for the gallery — the first paid exhibition they've ever held — so it's a bit of a milestone for the venue as much as for the artist.

Robinson is a Maluyligal and Wuthathi man born on Waiben (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait, with Scottish and Filipino heritage, and he works from Cairns. He doesn't stick to one medium, either: his practice spans illustration, printmaking, sculpture, animation and large public art installations. The work draws on Indigenous storytelling, biblical and historical layers, pop culture and science, and his printmaking in particular uses minaral, the traditional Torres Strait design of mark-making.

He's well known for his public work. He designed the inaugural medallion for the Prime Minister's Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems, and you might recognise his larger pieces: the 2.5-metre-tall Woven Fish sculptures (2003) on the Cairns Esplanade and the 6-metre Citizens Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. He's not a stranger to the gallery, either — in 2021 he curated WARWAR, a landmark exhibition of Torres Strait Islander art here in Newcastle.

Multiverse runs until August 30 at the Newcastle Art Gallery.