Leaping Fish
Artist
Tatipai Barsa
(1967)
Date1989
Object number00017985
NamePainting
MediumInk, watercolour paint, paper
Dimensions1003 x 798 x 28 mm, 7.1 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA painting by Tatipai Barsa titled 'Leaping Fish'.
For visual reference he has to look back to the intricate patterns of traditional Torres Strait Island carving and plaiting, the kaleidoscope of shaped and colours of the tropical reefs that surround the Islands. He was the first young Islander to express his culture in a contemporary art form, with European materials - to carve lino cuts based on tropical shells, stingrays, fish and coral patternsHistoryTatipai Barsa was born on Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait and grew up watching his father who was a skilled carver create sculptures of the sea animals around them.
After leaving Mer to attend school and later art college on the mainland, Barsa returned to his home to connect with his own stories that are expressed through his work:
"For visual reference he has to look back to the intricate patterns of traditional Torres Strait Island carving and plaiting, the kaleidoscope of shaped and colours of the tropical reefs that surround the Islands. He was the first young Islander to express his culture in a contemporary art form, with European materials - to carve lino cuts based on tropical shells, stingrays, fish and coral patterns."
- Anna Eglitis
Artlink, volume 01
Significance"The abstract images I use in my paintings are based on the tropical sea that surrounds my Island. Some of the subjects and themes that have heavily inspired my works over the years include fish, stingrays, shells, repeated patterns and designs that occur in nature, rock formations, traditional plaiting and carving techniques. Birds and other salt water creatures have also influenced my paintings."
-Tatipai Barsa, 2012.
