Masks and headdresses were traditionally made in the Torres Strait Islands, also known as Zenadth Kes. These masks and headdresses are used during ceremonies, and they represent Ancestors or spirit beings. Traditionally, they were only made and used by men.  

For contemporary artists in the Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islands, historical examples of masks in museum collections are a vital way to preserve and even revive traditional cultural practices. Artist Alick Tipoti studied many such collections to inform his own works. Further along this wall, you can view his impressive ceremonial headdress, made using fibreglass. The front of the headdress depicts a crocodile, which is the totem of the artist’s clan, and the back end is the body and tail of a shark. The artist also uses cassowary feathers to refer to the historical connection of the Torres Strait Islands with the east coast of Papua New Guinea.

Next to Crocodile Shark is a wooden mask. This is a rare surviving example of a 19th century mask made by an Ancestor, and is distinctive for showing the form of a human face, as such masks often represented Ancestors for ceremony. Today, artists are re-creating these types of masks, as can be seen in the nearby work of Vincent Babia.

Image credit:
Alick Tipoti
Koedal Baydham Adhaz (Crocodile Shark)Mask
2010
Synthetic polymer paint on fibreglass, Cassowary feathers, feathers, raffia and seeds, 130 x 300 cm  
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 199788

Ceremony And Art In The Torres Strait Islands

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country where each First Nations artist resides, or where the art in Ever Present was created. We recognise their continuing connections to Country, Community and culture, and pay our respects to their Elders, leaders and artists, past and present. We respectfully acknowledge all First Nations Traditional Custodians whose art we are currently exhibiting in Singapore.

Welcome to Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia. This exhibition is a survey of historical and contemporary works by more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from different cultural groups across Australia. Aboriginal Australians are the First Peoples of mainland Australia, lutruwita/Tasmania and the surrounding islands, while Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islanders are the First People of a group of islands that lie between Queensland and Papua New Guinea. 

Many of the works in this exhibition mention the Dreaming, an all-encompassing worldview of spiritual beliefs, cultural knowledge and creation stories that are held by many communities of First Peoples in Australia. However, we should note that the Dreaming is a Western term that oversimplifies the complexity of the worldviews of distinct groups. Regardless, these beliefs are an integral part of everyday life, and draw on the notions of Country, family and resilience. While some of the knowledge passed down in creation stories is shared with the public, certain parts of Dreaming stories are considered to be secret-sacred, or restricted and accessible only to specific members of a Community or cultural group.  

The works in this exhibition are an expression of deeply rooted cultural beliefs, and many of the artists featured have created art about the Dreaming and their Ancestors, as it strengthens their cultural connections and keeps their knowledge alive. Some of the works also look at the effect of colonialisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives, and what this means for the future of their peoples.

Introduction

An audio guide for the works in our DBS Singapore Gallery - Siapa Nama Kamu? Art in Singapore since the 19th Century

Portrait of Lim Loh

An audio tour for the exhibition, Teo Eng Seng: We're Happy, Are You Happy?

Five Nails

An audio tour for our exhibition, Kim Lim: The Space Between. A Retrospective.

Image is © Estate of Kim Lim. All Rights Reserved, DACS2024

Intervals I+II. 1973. Pine, Installation dimensions variable. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. 2015-00420-003 and 2015-00420-004.

Intervals I+II

An audio tour for our exhibition, Kim Lim: The Space Between. A Retrospective.

Image is © Estate of Kim Lim. All Rights Reserved, DACS2024

Echo. 1967. Stainless steel, enamel paint and zinc coating, 77 × 80 × 80 cm. Gift of William Turnbull. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. 2001-02663.

Echo

An audio tour for our exhibition, Kim Lim: The Space Between. A Retrospective.

Image is © Estate of Kim Lim. All Rights Reserved, DACS2024

Centaur II. 1963. Wood and bronze, 146.3 × 51.1 × 25.4 cm. Collection of M+, Hong Kong. Museum purchase and gift of Studio Turnbull, 2020.

Centaur II

An audio tour for our exhibition, Kim Lim: The Space Between. A Retrospective.
Image is © Estate of Kim Lim. All Rights Reserved, DACS2024

An audio tour for our exhibition, Becoming Lim Tze Peng.

自在天地

世界有多大

从大坡到小坡

On My Own Grounds

The World Outside

From Dàpō to Xiǎopō

National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution overseeing the largest public collection of modern art in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Enjoy rich audio commentary on our exhibitions and programmes here on our Soundcloud, or download our Gallery Explorer app for free through the App Store and Google Play.

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