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Bernard Lee Singleton

Coen | Cairns (Gimuy)

I paint, craft and make artefacts to ground myself. Through the process of making a spear or shaping the figure of a spirit, I connect with my ancestors and they help bring my work to life. My work is a way for me to acknowledge and remember the times of my great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. My designs are inspired by the laws of nature and the forms found in the creation stories around me. Using these basic forms or designs, I work to represent the bond of art and the continuation of culture.”

Bernard Lee Singleton is an accomplished craftsman, curator and designer, born and living in Cairns. Singleton grew up in Coen, Cape York. His mother is a Djabuguy woman born in Mona Mona mission near Kuranda and his father is an Umpila (east coast Cape York)/Yirrkandji man from Yarrabah mission.

Singleton has worked as a cultural consultant and guest curator for UMI Arts, Cairns Art Gallery and most recently the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, assisting the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.

Exhibitions

Bernard Lee Singleton

Dadikal (fishbone design) | Facade Commission

24 January — 30 March 2020