Brian Robinson with his work Empyreal: A Place and a Path in the Sky and on the Earth, Tarnanthi 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide,; photo: Saul Steed.
Brian Robinson - Patterns & Pop Culture
Create a drawing using patterns and pop culture
Brian Robinson grew up on Waiben (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait with Maluyligal and Wuthathi cultural heritage. Robinson creates works that combine traditional mark making and patterns from his culture with references to his favourite pop culture movies and comics. He is a multi-skilled contemporary artist, working in diverse media, including printmaking, sculpture and public art.
Growing up on Waiben (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait in a family of fisherfolk whose Roman Catholic faith exists in synergy with traditional Maluyligal and Wuthathi spirituality, my creations are seemingly incongruous concoctions where many motifs and characters are co-opted into the spirit world of the Islander imagination, which are then intertwined with historical narrative, personal history and humour.
installation view: Tarnanthi 2019 featuring Empyreal: A Place and a Path in the Sky and on the Earth by Brian Robinson, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide;; photo: Saul Steed.
Getting Started
Bring the artist into the classroom
Brian Robinson with his work Empyreal: A Place and a Path in the Sky and on the Earth, Tarnanthi 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide,; photo: Saul Steed.
Making & Responding
Create a drawing using patterns and pop culture
detail: Brian Robinson, born 1973, Waiben (Thursday Island), Wuthathi and Maluyligal people, Torres Strait Islands, Custodian of the Blooms, 2014, Cairns, mixed media, 300.0 x 300.0 cm, Image courtesy the artist and Mossenson Galleries, photo: Saul Steed
Education Resource
Be inspired with more ideas for the classroom
installation view: Tarnanthi 2019 featuring Empyreal: A Place and a Path in the Sky and on the Earth by Brian Robinson and Touch the River Floor by Naomi Hobson, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide;; photo: Saul Steed.
Student Online Gallery
Collaborative sculptures inspired by Brian Robinson