Segar Passi | Meriam Mir people Australia b. 1942 | Koob 2011 |
Synthetic polymer paint on paper | 70 x 100cm | Commissioned for
'Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait
Islands' | Purchased 2011 with funds from Anne Best through the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation In ten paintings, Torres
Strait Island artist Segar Passi documents aspects of the
knowledge held by Islanders that allows them to read the
weather. Safety at sea is paramount for any island dweller, and
Passi learnt from an early age to read the signs of rips and
whirlpools, tides and currents, and to understand their intimate
relationship with the movements of the stars and planets. From
cloud formations, Passi can even foretell sad family news. In
Koob Passi shows the kind of clouds usually seen in monsoon
weather. From Koob we know the storm is coming and fishermen are
unable to go out fishing because of the rough weather. ‘Koob’
means rain cloud in Meriam language. Other works in this series
also hold specific information ab