BRIAN ROBINSON | 'Kingdom Animalia: Curious Creatures' | Vinylcut

Kingdom Animalia: Curious creatures has developed out of a curiosity for the animal kingdom that share our world. Some are ancestral guardians, who embody themes of resilience, adaptability, and survival. Some are spirit totems which certain people have individual and collective responsibilities for in treatment, respect, and spiritual obligations, a practice that continues today. Others feature in songlines from particular regions and are revered as creator spirits, who played a role in shaping the landscape and the seascape through their journeys. Birds for instance, are revered as carriers of stories and teachings, connecting people to the natural world and teaching us how to live in harmony with other creatures and understand the interconnectedness of life. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture, manta rays hold significant spiritual and cultural importance representing wisdom, guardianship of marine resources, fertility of the land and social harmony. They are ancestral beings and are connected to the concept of the ocean and its bounty, underlying its benevolent presence as the ocean guardian. There is also a secondary narrative from the Book of Genesis, The Great Flood, which is the cornerstone of biblical theology. God instructed Noah to build an ark with specific dimensions from gopher wood, which would ensure the survival of humanity and animal life after the catastrophic flood. In Kingdom animalia: Curious creatures, this ark has transformed into a dugout canoe that floats on a sea of gabau sirsir (a tangle of wild yams) containing sixteen wild animals - some native, some introduced, some bold, some timid, some dangerous and others placid. Kingdom animalia: Curious creatures is part of a broader narrative, which recounts the creation of the world and serves as a cautionary tale about the power and significance of the animal kingdom.

BRIAN ROBINSON | 'Kingdom Animalia: Curious Creatures' | 2025 | vinylcut | H 1000 x W 2000 mm