Art and Object collection
This collection reflects the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expression.

Brian Robinson is a multi-skilled artist, his practice includes painting, printmaking, sculpture, public art and curating. His work is inspired by his Torres Strait Islander Heritage and his passion for pop-culture and history. Robinson grew up on Waiben (Thursday Island) and is part of the Kala Lagwa Ya and Maluyligal Language groups of the Torres Strait. He also has Wuthathi (Shelbourne Bay, Cape York) and Dayak (Borneo) heritage. Ocean Guardian reflects Robinson's Torres Strait and Aboriginal heritage as well as the importance of the stingray and the ocean. The back of the stingray is covered in hand-carved minaral, the distinctive graphic traditional patterning of the Torres Strait that has its origins in Melanesian artistry, in the rhythmical forms of pattern and dance. This style that has come to the fore in recent years through the medium of printmaking, especially linocuts. The sculpture is suspended in space and hovers as real stingray might – acting as a guardian of the reef as it continues its annual migration. This reflects the increasing environmental damage and risk to reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, and the importance of caring for the ocean. This sculpture tells the creation story of the Great Barrier Reef Gunya and the Sacred Fish as told by Gimuy Walabura Yidinji elder Gudju Gudju (Seith) Fourmile in David Attenborough's documentary, Great Barrier Reef (2015). The story of the stingray connects with Robinson's Aboriginal heritage as well because it is one of the totems of the Wuthathi people.