Ira Gold

I am an artist of Torres Strait, Japanese, Indonesian and European descent and grew up on Larrakia country, Garamilla (Darwin) and Arrernte country in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). The Blue Highway 2025 navigates the nuanced quest for connection and a sense of belonging to my Torres Strait Islander heritage. The making of the work has initiated an ongoing process of developing relationships with my Erub Island family. The title ‘The Blue Highway’ is a reference to a Torres Strait Islander concept of a cultural passage that connects all Torres Strait Islanders to their Saltwater Country, a place of connection, learning, healing and navigation. The panels representing windows of museum display cabinets are transformed by carving and manipulation with heat to become fragmented pieces of a journey by sea. The Blue Highway for me is a conduit for connection to the Saltwater Country of the Torres Strait Islands.