Stories of the Sea brings Torres Strait culture to Coffs

FOR Torres Strait Island artist Toby Cedar, the stories behind his artworks are just as important as the objects themselves.

Cedar’s exhibition, Stories of the Sea: Masks, Headdresses & Sculptures, opened at The Gallery, Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance in Coffs Harbour last Saturday, bringing together a striking collection of masks, headdresses and three-dimensional sculptures inspired by his culture, family and the sea.

Rather than simply painting stories onto a canvas, Cedar draws on traditional ways of making, using materials including bamboo, coconut shell, feathers, pearl shell, wood, resin and fibreglass.

“My people weren’t painters, we made things from the land,” he said.

“We carved pearl shells, bamboo … so that’s what I’ve incorporated into my artwork – well, my take on it.”

Many of the stories represented in his work have been passed down through his family and Elders, including stories of hunting, fishing, family life, the islands and the natural world.

The sea is a recurring presence, with marine animals including sharks, turtles and stingrays appearing in his work, alongside his own totems, including the tiger shark and frigate bird.

Cedar said storytelling was also deeply connected to dance and song in Torres Strait culture.

“I tell my stories through language – our storytelling is told that way,” he said.

Dance has become an important part of his artistic practice, with Cedar performing traditional dances and developing new dances with family members.

He also works as a cultural consultant and has performed around Australia, including at the Sydney Opera House.

Cedar recalls a particularly memorable performance in 2024, when he was among Torres Strait Island representatives who performed for King Charles and Queen Camilla during their visit to Sydney.

“It was a real experience,” he said. “The security was huge – we didn’t even know who we were performing for until we got there.”

Cedar was born in Dampier, Western Australia, in 1978 to parents who came from the Torres Strait.

Although he grew up in WA, he said he was always surrounded by his Torres Strait culture and a large Torres Strait community.

His artistic career took off after he began making traditional Torres Strait dari, or headdresses, having been taught how to make them by his Elders.

Now an award-winning artist, he has since exhibited widely, with his work held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Newcastle Art Gallery and Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art.

Cedar said he had returned to the east coast in part because he wanted to help more Australians understand Torres Strait Islander culture.

“In Queensland it is taught in schools and most people know about it, but not in other areas of Australia,” he said.

The exhibition came about after Cedar met representatives of Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance at an Indigenous Chamber of Commerce trade show in the Hunter Valley last year.

Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance is a 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned and operated not-for-profit organisation working with Aboriginal communities across the Mid North Coast, using arts and culture as a foundation for cultural pride, skills development and career opportunities.

Cedar will return to The Gallery on November 4 for an artist talk, when visitors will have an opportunity to hear more about the stories behind his work and experience some of the culture through song.

The exhibition is presented by Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance and supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Stories of the Sea: Masks, Headdresses & Sculptures continues at The Saltwater Freshwater Gallery, 6 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour, until November 26.

The Gallery is open from 10am to 2pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

By Leigh WATSON