First published: March 2026
Maps of astronomy or astrology, medieval pilgrimage or Aboriginal songlines? Tasmanian-born synesthete Shane Drinkwater provides no key to his art
A circle orbited by rings of numbers. A latitude and longitude of shapes on parchment paper, implying an ancient map. The cartographic works of Shane Drinkwater suggest linear stories but then defy them. His obsessively geometric work seems encoded with definitions, but he would prefer that viewers react viscerally to make their own meaning. Drinkwater is dyslexic. He says his art is all about mark-making, that the elements themselves create meaning by generating sensation in the body. This creation of meaning is something that he did not experience when looking at words on a page as a child – a lack of elucidation that traumatised him.
The artist in his studio, 2025; photo: Fabienne Drinkwater
By LORI LANDAU
This is an article extract; read the full article in Raw Vision 126.
