Joe Geia

Now open next to Raine & Horne, Southsea Island Shopping Centre, Macleay Island
Open Mon/Wed/Fri from 10am to 12 noon.
Phone: 0423 505 527

Joe Geia’s style comes from North Queensland, clearly revealing his Gugu Yirrithirr/Kuku Yalanji (Aboriginal) and Kaurareg (Torres Strait Islander) ancestry. He combines his heritage with a contemporary approach.

“My paintings are about my Aboriginal and Islander cultural interpretations, because I understand that language, dance, song and visual art are the communication techniques of trial contact with each other. Putting a visual story to my contemporary songs would be in the same context as a Kangaroo Dreaming story painted on bark. It’s a traditional communicating technique for knowledge and morality.”

EXHIBITIONS

2016
Geia is a member of the Yein artists’ group on the Gold Coast who have been engaged in creating art for retail opportunities.

2015
A highly successful solo exhibition was held at St Vincent’s Hospital Art Gallery, Melbourne in February 2015. The theme of the exhibition centred around bush medicine ‘Dunkinjaka’.

2011
Linden Gallery in St Kilda depicting five4 of his well-known songs such as ‘Uncle Willie’ which pays homage to the leaders of the first strike on Palm Island, 1957. Joe’s father, Albert Geia was one of seven leaders striking to be paid wages instead of working for rations.

2006-2008
Geia began painting seriously in 2006 and studied for two years at the School of Arts Bundoora Campus. His first exhibition was at Kerala Gallery, High Street Northcote in 2008, exhibiting fifteen paintings in a joint exhibition with fellow musician-artist Hughie Walling, selling a significant number to private collectors.

MURAL
In 1983 Sydney artist Carol Ruff and Geia painted a mural on the Redfern railway station overpass. This mural depicts lyrics from his song 40,000 years – “40,000 years is a long long time, 40,000 years, still on my mind”. This mural has stood the test of time and is well respected in Redfern.

Joe playing at a recent Quandamooka Festival

Joe is also an accomplished singer and musician. His CDs are available at his shop on Macleay Island and also on line through his website.