Rosie Ware / Muralag people / Australia b.1959 / Shipwrecks 2010 / Commercial cotton fabric, block and screen printed / 400 x 113cm / Commissioned for ‘Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands’. Purchased 2011 with funds from Thomas Bradley through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art | © Rosie Ware

Rosie Ware
Shipwrecks  2010

Not Currently on Display

Shipwrecks 2010 tells an important story of Torres Strait Islander history. From the 1600s, the Torres Strait was a popular, though dangerous, shipping route; sudden storms and erratic tides and currents caused boats to regularly become shipwrecked.

In Shipwrecks, Rosie Ware reveals the little-known fate of many sailors, who were killed by headhunting warriors. The ‘tools of the trade’ used by the warriors are depicted — stone clubs, bamboo knives and a special woven bag for the collection of skulls — together with the bleached white skull necklace of the chief headhunter.

Rosie Ware is an award-winning textile designer and printer who lives on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. A self-taught printmaker, she has participated in group exhibitions since 1996.

Ware designs and prints from her home studio on Green Hill, which overlooks the Thursday Island Harbour and nearby islands. She prints on silk, satin, cotton and linen fabrics, exploring designs inspired by her tropical garden, the marine environment and, most importantly, Torres Strait culture and history.

Discussion Questions

1. Think about Ware’s processes and choices in making this print. Can you see evidence of the processes involved? Consider the patterns, colours and shapes used in the design.

2. Ware’s artwork involves image repetition. What images are repeated in this textile design? Do you think this artwork tells a story?

Classroom Activities

1. Research a major shipwreck which occurred in the Torres Strait. What were the circumstances of the event?

2. Create your own stencil by carving a pattern into a square piece of lino (10 x 10cm). Base your pattern on a local creek or river, or even a lake or the sea. Using a roller, apply paint to the lino and press it onto a piece of fabric to create your print. Your fabric piece could be used to make your own simple book bag.