JYMAHL SAVAGE | 'Pearl Diver' | Monoprint V.E. 2

'"I grew up listening to the stories of my uncles who worked on the pearling luggers in the Torres Strait. Growing up on Thursday Isand (TI) the Pearling Museum was somewhere I used to visit a lot, watching the videos that explained the pearl diving process and looking at the artefacts made of pearl shell. I used to ride my bike around Horn Island and drop in on my uncles who were carving, and on renowned Badu artist Alick Tipoti, who would all show me how they worked with the pearl. The history of diving in the Torres Strait goes back generations. 
This work investigates the history of our relationship with the Sea, and the stories that drew me in as a young fella as I watched my Uncles at work. There is a misnomer that exists around Diving - that it is over. It is not over - we are here doing it every day. The traditional image of a pearl diver speaks to the continuing relationship between the people of Zenadth Kes and the sea. I used to sit with my grandparents, and they would tell me about how they would go hunting and diving, my Aka (grandmother) as well. The Dhoeri, or TS headdress, represents our pride in our knowledge and culture which is distinctly different from any other culture in Australia."
-Jymahl Savage

As an artist, Jymahl Savage offers his audience a view through the mask into the world that exists beneath the ocean’s surface.

A fisherman and hunter, Jymahl shares his unique insight into the rich bio-diversity of the Torres Straight in all of his artwork; mapping species, seasons and the intricate web of relationships that exist on land and in the sea.

One of Badu’s most hardworking and exciting emerging artists, Jymahl works in a range of 2D and 3D processes including lino and monoprints, wood and pearl-shell carving.

In January 2025 Jymahl was awarded Creative Australia’s Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund to support the development of this exhibition.

Jymahl’s work has been commissioned by government and aviation and in 2024 Paspaley Pearls purchased a series of artworks for their new, high-end luxury yacht the Paspaley Pearl.

JYMAHL SAVAGE | 'Pearl Diver' | 2025 | Monoprint V.E. 2 | 1210 (h) x 808 (w) mm