"Zugubal: The winds and the tides set the pace" 2023

Brian Robinson  

Kala Lagaw Ya and Wuthathi language. Born 1973, Waiben (Thursday Island), Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands). Lives and works Gimuy (Cairns), Queensland. 

 

 

"Zugubal: The winds and the tides set the pace"  2023    

Vinyl-cut print on paper 

 

Courtesy of the artist and Onespace, Meanjin (Brisbane). 

 

 

"Zugubal: The winds and the tides set the pace" underscores cultural responsibilities of water stewardship by illustrating the interconnectedness between oceans, skies, people, and culture. Emerging from Robinson’s deep connection to Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands), this carving represents a multiverse of knowledge and symbols, where marine ecologies collide with spiritual and cosmological realms and contemporary imagination. The vinyl-cut print navigates the story of Zugubal, celestial spirits who orchestrate and guide the rhythms and seasons of everyday life in Zenadth Kes. 

 

In this work, radiating concentric circles map celestial coordinates where constellations, planets, and traditional motifs orbit alongside the Hubble Telescope and vessels from Star Wars and Star Trek universes. Awai (pelican) and Woumerr (frigate bird) fly among these pop culture space characters and intricate Minaral (Zenadth Kes patterning and designs). Imagery depicts scenes showing Mabayg (gardeners) and Gabau (yam vines), whose growing cycles align with skies and earth. The winds Kuki (Northwest) and Sager (Southwest) appear as masked figures setting the pace for fishing, planting and harvesting. Below, sea country unfolds where Waru (green turtle), Dhangal (dugong), and Thupmul (stingray) swim alongside traditional Gul (outrigger canoes) and a nineteenth-century European sailing ship. As Robinson explains:  

 

"Because of their seafaring lifestyle, Torres Strait Islanders have always relied on their sophisticated understanding of the stars, the seasons, the weather, the winds, and the currents both for navigation and for identifying appropriate times to gather, nurture, or avoid food plants and animals. In Islander mythology, celestial beings (star constellations) are known as Zugubal, powerful spirits who influenced the environment and climate, which in turn set the course and rhythm for community life."