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PO Box 21, Bunbury, WA 6231

08 9792 7323

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Billy Missi’n Wakain Thamai

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Billy Missi | Billy Missi'n Wakain Thamai

From Saturday 8 August
To Sunday 25 October 2026

Billy Missi’n Wakain Thamai is a profound exhibition honouring the late Torres Strait Islander artist Billy Missi (1970-2012). The exhibition brings together over fifty of the artist’s most significant and iconic prints, including rare and never-before-exhibited monoprints, etchings, and linoprints from Djumbunji Fine Art Press and private collections. Curated by Dr Russell Milledge, this retrospective was developed in close consultation with the Billy Missi Estate, family members and friends, highlighting Missi’s critical role in the emergence of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) printmaking as a contemporary art form. 

The Billy Missi’n Wakain Thamai exhibition honours Missi’s artistic legacy and his dedication to maintaining the language and culture of his people. The bilingual exhibition features diverse forms of printmaking and a film, presenting an immersive experience into contemporary Torres Strait Islander culture and customs. Audiences will gain a deep appreciation for Missi’s work, reflecting his way of life, traditions, and enduring legacy. 

Born on Mabuiag Island, Missi was deeply influenced by the storytelling, song, and dance traditions of his Wagadagam Tribe. Beginning in earnest in the 1990s, his artistic journey combined traditional carving techniques with modern linocut methods, creating a unique aesthetic that earned international recognition before his passing in 2012. 

Billy Missi

Missi was born on Mabuiag Island in 1970. Informed by a childhood engaged with storytelling, song and dance traditions of the Wagedagam Tribe, Missi’s inherited creativity, combined with his passion and experience growing up with living customary practices, prepared him for his journey into art.

Missi felt the impulse to create when he first encountered the works of contemporary Torres Strait Islander artists in 1992, but it was not until 1999 that he felt ready to devote himself to artistic pursuits full-time. With only minimal formal training on Moa Island, he rapidly worked his way to the forefront of contemporary Zenadh-Kes (Western Torres Strait) printmaking. Missi skilfully combined traditional carving techniques,  distinct fish-bone patterns with the Western medium of the linocut to forge a new aesthetic and print-making movement in the 1990s alongside peers, an aesthetic firmly based on traditional Torres Strait Islander principles.  

Billy Missi gained international recognition prior to his passing in 2012. 

Billy Missi'n Wakain Thamai is an exhibition developed by NorthSite Contemporary Arts (Cairns) and touring Australia in partnership with Gab Titui Cultural Centre/Torres Strait Regional Authority (Thursday Island) and Museums & Galleries Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government's Visions of Australia program.

Image: Billy Missi, Ubarau Thonar | Wongai Season, 2009, linoleum cut printed in black ink from one block and hand coloured, 1000 x 650mm (print matrix). Courtesy of Gab Titui Cultural Centre. © Billy Missi | Copyright Agency, 2024

Upcoming Exhibitions

Upcoming Exhibitions