Robert Tommy Pau

Erub Samsep (Darnley Island)

Tommy Pau is a contemporary Torres Strait Islander artist born in Townsville in 1967 and raised between the Torres Strait and mainland Australia. A member of the Erub Samsep Clan Group, his practice explores cultural identity, oral history, spirituality, and political narratives through a contemporary urban Indigenous perspective.

Influenced by the traditional values of Pasin — a philosophy grounded in ethical and moral living shaped by both Christianity and Torres Strait Islander culture — Pau combines symbolism, comic hyper-realism, and religious imagery within his work. Drawing on historical events, oral histories, and personal experiences, he uses art as a powerful medium to preserve and communicate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives.

Pau holds a Diploma in Visual Arts and previously worked as a Visual Art teacher at TAFE in Cairns. His artworks are held in the collections of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

In 2017, Tommy Pau received the Works on Paper Award at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, in recognition of his significant contribution to contemporary Indigenous art.