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Navigating oceans has long appealed to our spirit of adventure, exploration and escapism, but it also plays a significant role in the cosmologies and survival of many cultures and their communities. Brian Robinson's 'Oceanic Navigator' takes us on a voyage across time and space, as well as navigating through the oceanic depths and details of the seafaring practices, traditions and mythologies inherent in the memories of indigenous people from the Torres Straits Islands and the Pacific Region. As a 'young fella' growing up in the Torres Straits, Robinson spent many-a-day fishing at sea with his grandfather: a selection of the works in his exhibition are tributes to these fond yet fragile moments. In those days, canoes were the technology employed for such ventures and 'feeling the nibbles on the end of the line' was the way to go. Tradition, the canoe and marine symbology are therefore central to Robinson's work, but it is their unpredictably flamboyant and off beat rendering that captures the imagination.
Although the artist draws upon traditional folklore and practice as the foundation to his artistic expression, this is as far as he allows his theme to remain anchored in antiquity. Robinson's aim is to transcend these confines and this he achieves. For instance, whilst utilising wood carving skills as the basis upon which his works are built, it is the way in which he translates this craft that effectively bridges the gap between old and new, past and present, and is what makes his works singularly novel and energetic. His approach to narration may be from the aerial perspective but, again, it is how this view is crafted that gives the works their edge. For the