We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Segar Passi / Meriam Mir/Dauareb people / Australia b.1942 / Irmerira baz 2011 / Synthetic polymer paint on paper / 70 x 100cm / Purchased 2011 with funds from Anne Best through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Segar Passi
Segar PassiIrmerira baz 2011
On Display: QAG, Gallery 11
Segar Passi documents aspects of the knowledge held by Torres Strait Islanders that allows them to read the weather. Safety at sea is paramount for any island dweller, and Passi learnt from an early age to read signs of rips and whirlpools, tides and currents, and their intimate relationship with the movements of the stars and planets. From cloud formations, Passi can even foretell sad family news.
Segar Passi is an important Meriam Mir elder who developed as a painter during the 1960s, meticulously observing marine and bird species, weather conditions, and painting portraits, images of daily life, and scenes from Creation narratives.
Drawn to painting from a young age, Passi chose this medium over the carving and performance traditions of his Meriam people. His recent works have focused on the natural world to encourage people to be mindful and respectful of their environment, and to record important social and cultural practices and knowledge.