Current / Teho Ropeyarn

This exhibition of printmaking works by Teho Ropeyarn – of the Angkamuthi and Yadhaykanu clans, which settled Injinoo in Western Cape York – is the third in a series showcasing the significance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in Australia’s cultural landscape.

With energetic colour and design, Ropeyarn’s prints convey a knowledge of specific land and waters from, in the artist’s words, “the inside out.” Demonstrating an intimate understanding of the natural world, the stories embedded in these prints aren’t only about place, “they are about family, belonging, and continuity.”

Printmaking has become synonymous with the art of the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait and far north Queensland. The processes of this contemporary medium echo age-old traditions of carving, etching and incising patterns onto ritual and trade objects which were used throughout the islands of the Pacific. Modern technologies and innovation have changed the cultural landscape of printmaking in the region as it has everywhere in the world. Ropeyarn is at the vanguard of this artform, exploring its potential in expanded spatial practice, and demonstrating that tradition is not static, it is shifting and dynamic, and evolves in order to survive.

McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery
8 March to 29 June 2025
Victoria