Description
When I went to the Cambridge Museum in the UK I saw all these masks from the Torres Strait Islands and they really inspired me – all the masks that were in there. I was standing in the middle of them and just looking around and they were just staring at me. That particular artwork, I based it on that Parul – all the faces of the masks – almost all my ancestors were looking at me and I was just observing. At the same time I was getting inspired by the Spirits. In my traditional language I asked them to come with me, to come with me, to make my work stronger. It is our traditional custom when you see these things, ancient things, you stand there and observe them and then you ask them to come with you in a good way, good spirit, to help you in your work. So that time I stood among that artwork there’s all these faces – I just draw them out, they were lying in the boxes. That was Cam-bridge Museum in London. Parul in language is the faces of the ancestors I referred to. The year was 2000. I just made the artwork last year. Sometimes I wait to do a work. I don’t do it straight away – only when I dream, next day I will do it. Sometimes it takes me a long time. I waited one year if I wanted to change my art style I will talk to the Spirits. It won’t happen overnight. It might come next year or the year after, then suddenly you see my changed style, my style it changes.
