Robert Tommy Pau Torres Strait Enlightenment: 150th Coming of the Light

1 JULY —— 28 AUGUST 2021

A STATEMENT BY THE ARTIST

My take on Torres Strait history is as an informed student of politics. My initial search was for pride and self-esteem in Torres Strait history that I knew was there, but not commonly promoted as facts of Torres Strait history. To only hear emotional fallacies and community oral gossip that needs the burden of proof to validate moral narratives that over-showed great achievements of a people obscure in the north of Queensland - the only region bordering another nation, Papua New Guinea.

Robert Tommy Pau, Mabo, 2021, linocut on paper, linocut on somerset velvet white 300gsm 100% cotton, 70 x 59.5cm, courtesy of the artist

Courtesy of the Artist and NorthSite Contemporary Arts

I do not discredit or discard oral history and the atrocious acts of merchant’s vices, followed by conservative paternalistic bureaucratic government, that did not have the liberal values of Chester and Douglas, but I have come to realise that the biological and psychological equivocalness and psycho-semantics, are at times emotional fallacies and pseudo political wranglings, that cloud the achievements of what Torres Strait Islanders did in the settlement of the state of Queensland and Australia.

ROBERT TOMMY PAU, 'Time', 2021, linocut on somerset velvet white 300gsm 100% cotton, 59.5 78.5cm

Courtesy of the Artist and NorthSite Contemporary Arts

Enlightenment has the connotation of knowing oneself. The title of this exhibition asserts that Torres Strait Enlightenment is how Torres Strait Islanders looked at their situation and circumstance in the 1800’s and negated their resilience from the mercantile commercial world that was obsessed with resources raiding.

Amanie, Chief of Erub (Darnley Island) had the enlightened intelligence to recognise the salvation that the missionaries would bring – saving them from mercantile commercial exploitation, abuse and oppression.

I believe that those who do not see this are denying our leaders their negated intellectual wisdom in saving our people from exploitation.

In my opinion, this act lead to what became a very progressive region in such a short time - from pre-1871 Palaeolithic subsistence existence, to global industrial capitalism post 1871, to the present modern contemporary liberal representative democratic law based civil society.

[... Read Full Exhibition Brochure... at northsite.org.au]

Robert Tommy Pau, Thawi (Brother in Law) (detail), 2021, linocut on somerset velvet white 300gsm 100% cotton, 77.7 x 59.5 cm, courtesy of the artist

Courtesy of the Artist and NorthSite Contemporary Arts

Coming of the Light is a communicative event that frames the modern history of the Torres Strait. Modern Torres Strait history could not have happened outside of this frame.

This exhibition is my responsibility for Torres Strait Islanders’ history. I have burdened myself to lay before Queensland, Australia and the world, the efforts of a people who number less than 60 000 in the 2016 Census, contribution to the State of Queensland and the nation, Australia.

This is what the Coming of the Light is to Torres Strait Islanders, it is Torres Strait Enlightenment.