AustLit

Alick Tipoti is a male artist born in 1975 on Thursday Island. As both an artist and a person, he is guided by the traditions of the Torres Strait. His artwork stems from cultural beliefs and practices, and a self-assigned duty to record ancestral information so that it may be available for future generations. Such information includes genealogies, songs, stories, and other aspects of Torres Strait culture. The artist speaks Kala Lagaw of the Maluilgul nation of Zenadh Kes, his native language, and also attempts to incorporate native language into the original titles of his artworks.

Since early in his life, Tipoti has had a great interest in art and its ability to record and preserve cultural information. He was highly successful in his studies, receiving the Art Student of the Year award at Townsville Pimilico TAFE College, and Scholar of the Year during further studies in the Australian Capital Territory. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in addition to winning over a dozen awards for his art since 1993. Tipoti’s most significant solo exhibition was Malungu (From the Sea) which toured through numerous Australian and international galleries from 2007 to 2009. In Australia he is well-known for linocuts such as 
Koedal Baydham Adhaz Parw (2010), otherwise known as Crocodile Mask, which is displayed in the National Gallery of Australia. Today, Tipoti is a well-known printmaker whose artistic practices are well respected within the art world. His artworks capture elements of daily life in the Torres Strait, in addition to important ancestral information and stories.

"When I work late at night carving traditional designs, I can sense the presence of the spirits who I verbally acknowledge and thank in language for their guidance and help in visualising the words they have given me. I vividly remember an unusual event late one evening where I was guided to resketch and change the interperation of a block I was about to carve. This was just one of the many occasions when I have connected with the Zugubal who have instructed me on the proper ways of our cultural traditions."

Alick Tipoti

http://www.aboriginalartprints.com.au/indigenous_artists_details.php?artist_id=129-Alick%20Tipoti

https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/collection/indigenous_australian_art/alick_tipoti