Ilan Pasin: Torres Strait Art was the first major exhibition of Torres Strait Islander art presented in Australia.

This exhibition forms part of the Cairns Art Gallery online First Nations Research Archive, developed as part of the Gallery’s online Legacy Archive to celebrate the Gallery’s 30th anniversary.

Cairns Art Gallery’s 1998 exhibition was significant because, until then, there was little understanding that Queensland was home to two distinctly different First Nation cultures – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

The exhibition title was significant. Ilan Pasin translates from Creole as ‘this is our way’ and referred to the culture and lifestyle of Torres Strait Islander peoples. The exhibition was developed by First Nation curators Tom Mosby, originally from Yam Island, and artist Brian Robinson who selected works to showcase their culture from an Islander perspective.

Following its opening in Cairns, Ilan Pasin: Torres Strait Art toured public galleries across Australia, introducing new audiences to historical and contemporary art and culture of Torres Strait Islander people. Subsequently art galleries across Australia and overseas have continued to collect and exhibit Torres Strait Islander art as a result of the seminal Cairns Art Gallery exhibition.