Uncle Robin Rankin is a proud Wadja Wadja and Kullilli man from Central Queensland who is based in Collingwood. He comes from a family of talented artists and has been making artwork most of his life.

He studied art at the Cairns Tafe in the 1980s; he worked in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education sector for many years; and he is also a trained chef, who has now retired. Uncle Robin explains that in his community only a small number of words have survived.

The words we know and use, have come from many different communities. My hometown of Woorabinda (meaning kangaroo sits down) is a melting pot of many mobs. My people don’t create dot paintings; our main style of art is handprints and stencilling. The line work I use was introduced to us from other clans and communities who were moved into the area.

Uncle Robin tells the Storylines, Songlines and Dreaming of his people through his art practice. Knowledge is passed down through generations of family members. The emu is Uncle Robin’s skin; and appears in many of his drawings. His artworks explain the connections between plants, animals, people and the Creation Ancestors—like Moondagudda (the Rainbow Serpent). Uncle Robin takes his inspiration from the Moondagudda—a well-known deity that is celebrated as a creator and a god.