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Alick Tipoti (born 1975), also known by his traditional name Zugub, is a famous Torres Strait Islander artist. He is also a linguist, meaning he studies languages, and an activist who works for important causes. Alick comes from the Kala Lagaw Ya people on Badu Island in the Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait). His art includes painting, creating large art pieces (installations), printmaking, sculpture, and making masks. Alick's main goal is to protect and keep alive the culture and languages of his people.

Early Life and Learning

Alick Tipoti was born in 1975 on Thursday Island. He grew up on Badu Island, which is also called Mulgrave Island. He also has family connections to Mabuiag Island. Alick's father, Leniaso, was an artist and a cultural adviser. This meant he helped share knowledge about their traditions. Alick became interested in art when he was a child. He was given the traditional name Zugub. This name connects him to the spirits of his ancestors, who are called the Zugubal.

Alick went to primary school on Badu Island. Later, he moved to Thursday Island. In 1992, he earned an Advanced Diploma in Arts from the TAFE college there. He then went on to study at the Australia National University in Canberra. In 1998, he graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts, specializing in printmaking.

Alick Tipoti's Art Career

Alick Tipoti first focused on printmaking in his art. He used a technique called linocut, which involves carving designs into linoleum. In the early 1990s, he started showing his art in small galleries in North Queensland.

In 2007, Alick began making artistic versions of traditional ceremonial masks. He made these new masks from fibreglass. They were inspired by the old masks, which were often made from turtleshell.

Alick was asked to create art for important places. He designed an artwork for the floor of the domestic arrivals hall at Cairns Airport. He also created designs for other buildings. In 2010, he designed art for nine railway carriages of the Tilt Train. This train travels from Brisbane to Cairns.

In 2015, Alick performed the Marimawa dance at the British Museum in London. This dance uses spiritual masks. Alick has also helped and guided younger artists in the Torres Strait Islands.

What Alick Tipoti Creates Today

Alick Tipoti's art today includes printmaking, sculpture, painting, dance, and performance art. He often tells stories about legendary heroes in his work. He also creates art that looks like traditional weapons, dhari (the traditional Torres Strait Islander headdress seen on their flag), masks, and drums.

His art shows the culture of his people, the Maluyligal (Maluilgal) from the Torres Strait. He especially focuses on showing his language in his art. Sometimes, his artworks tell a strong story and might even include more than one image. He pays close attention to small details.

Alick wants to record parts of his culture, like stories, family histories, and songs. This way, future generations can learn from his art. He is one of the last people to speak Kala Lagaw Ya (from the Maluilgal nation) very well. Because of this, he works on programs that help keep the language alive. He also speaks Kala Kawa Ya, which is another language from the Guda Maluyligal nation.

Alick teaches language, culture, and history at Tagai State College and Thursday Island TAFE. He mostly lives and works in Cairns.

Alick Tipoti's Activism

Alick Tipoti has worked hard to teach people about the dangers of climate change in the Torres Strait. He also speaks out about plastic pollution in the ocean. In 2016, he had an art exhibit called Taba Naba - Australia, Oceania, Arts of the Sea People. This exhibit started at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. There, he met Prince Albert II of Monaco, who cares a lot about the environment. The prince later visited the Torres Strait and stayed with Alick and his family.

In 2021, a full-length documentary film called Alick and Albert was released. It was made by Trish Lake, a film producer from Brisbane, and Alick Tipoti helped write it. The film shares stories from the Badulgal people of Badu Island and the Monégasque people of Monaco. Both groups are worried about climate change and the future of the oceans. Most of the filming was done before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21 made it hard for people to travel. The film was first shown at the Brisbane International Film Festival in October 2021.

Awards and Recognition

Alick Tipoti has received many awards throughout his career. He was named Art Student of the Year by Townsville Pimlico TAFE College in 1993. In 1997, he was named Australian Capital Territory Scholar of the Year after his studies at ANU. In 1998, he won the Lin Onus Youth Prize at the 4th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award.

Other awards he has received include:

  • NAIDOC Awards:
    • 1999: Torres Strait Senior Cultural Award
    • 2009: Torres Strait Senior Cultural Award
    • 2012: Torres Strait Artist of the Year
    • 2024: Caring for Country and Culture Award
  • National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA):
  • 2001: Fremantle Print Award, Non-Acquisitive Prize
  • 2008: Fremantle Print Award, Non-Acquisitive Prize
  • 2011: ACCELERATE Indigenous Leadership Award. This award was given by the British Council and Australia Council.
  • 2012: Deadly Awards, Visual Artist of the Year Finalist
  • 2021: Australians Screen Industry Network Awards, Best Documentary, for Alick and Albert
  • 2021: 19th International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival (FIFO), Special Jury Prize, for Alick and Albert

Art Exhibitions

Alick Tipoti's art has been shown in many group exhibitions, where his work is displayed alongside other artists. These include:

He has also had many solo exhibitions, where only his art is shown:

  • 2007–2009: Malangu – From the Sea: shown in several galleries across Australia and at Arts d’Australie in Paris, France.
  • 2011: Mawa Adhaz Pa’ar – Sorcerer Masks, at Australian Art Network Galleries, Canopy Artspace, Cairns.
  • 2012: Badhulayg – Person of Badu, at Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne.
  • 2015: Alick Tipoti Zugubal: Ancestral Spirits, at Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns.
  • 2016: Lagangu, at Linden New Art, Melbourne VIC.
  • 2020–2022: Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns), at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney.

Where His Art Is Kept

Alick Tipoti's artwork is held in many important collections. These are places like museums and galleries that keep art for people to see and study. His work is found in Australia and other countries, including:

Films About Alick Tipoti

  • Zugub, the mask, the spirits and the stars (2012)
  • Alick and Albert (2021) – This film won awards at ASINA and FIFO. It was also nominated for six awards at the 2021 Queensland Film Network Awards.
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