By Biennale of Sydney
23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus
Maluw Adhil Urngu Padanu Mamuy Moesik (Legends from the deep, sitting peacefully upon the waters); Poster wall (2022) by Yessie Mosby and Torres Strait 8Biennale of Sydney
About the participant
Torres Strait 8
Formed 2019 in Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands)
Yessie Mosby, Masig
Kabay Tamu, Warraber
Keith Pabai, Boigu
Stanley Marama, Boigu
Nazareth Warria, Masig
Ted Billy, Warraber
Daniel Billy, Warraber
Nazareth Fauid, Poruma
‘We must look after our island, the way it has looked after us. The bosom of this land is our mother, and the water surrounding it is our father. We have to protect them, our islands our home.’
—Yessie Mosby, Zenadh Kes Masig man and claimant
Kes Wakai Ngu (voices from Zenadh Kes) (2021) by Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait), Australia and Spoken by Yessie Mosby, Kulkalgal Traditional Owner / Torres Strait 8 claimant, Masig, Zenadh Kes (Indigenous man from Yorke Island, Torres Strait, Australia).Biennale of Sydney
Maluw Adhil Urngu Padanu Mamuy Moesik (Legends from the deep, sitting peacefully upon the waters); Poster wall (2022) by Yessie Mosby and Torres Strait 8Biennale of Sydney
Zenadh Kes (the Torres Strait Islands & surrounding seas) is experiencing climate crisis and urgent action is needed.
The Torres Strait 8 are a collective who have taken a complaint against the Australian Government to the United Nations for failing to protect Zenadh Kes from climate damage, demanding that Australia reduce emissions, and immediately resource adaptation needs.
This is the world’s first case of its kind.
Installation View (2021/2022) by Torres Strait 8Biennale of Sydney
For rīvus, the Torres Strait 8 participate with a hybrid art-as-protest work led by Masig cultural practitioner Yessie Mosby. Yessie has carved a series of new totem poles from materials, pigments and fibres found on the Islands.
The mythological totems share stories of ancestral beings in deep saltwater. These stories are interconnected with the current climate trauma the communities are experiencing; Mosby says, 'we will be the first climate refugees in this country.'
The collective’s participation magnifies the activism of the Our Islands Our Home campaign fighting for justice for the communities of Zenadh Kes and holding the Australian Government to account on climate change policy.
Torres Strait 8 | Yessie Mosby Interview (2022) by Motel Picture CompanyBiennale of Sydney
Hear from Torres Strait 8 member, Yessie Mosby.
Torres Strait 8 | Daniel Billy Interview (2022) by Motel Picture CompanyBiennale of Sydney
Hear from Torres Strait 8 member, Daniel Billy.
Maluw Adhil Urngu Padanu Mamuy Moesik (Legends from the deep, sitting peacefully upon the waters); Poster wall (2022) by Yessie Mosby and Torres Strait 8Biennale of Sydney
On 23 September 2022, the Torres Strait 8 made international legal history after the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that the Australian government has violated its human rights obligations to them through climate change inaction.
Learn more about this ground-breaking decision at ourislandsourhome.com.au.
Tap to explore
Navigate through Pier 2/3 and explore Torres Strait 8's installation.
