WHAT THE WATER REMEMBERS

For renowned artist, Otis Hope Carey, everything begins and ends with water. The ocean — Gaagal — has always been both his totem and his teacher, shaping his identity, his art, and the rhythm of his life.

By Donna Rishton-Potter

Carey grew up on Gumbaynggirr Country on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, where his earliest memories are of rock pools and headlands — memories that taught him how deeply water is woven through life, as cleanser, healer, and keeper of stories.

That connection has never left him. Before he was a painter, Carey was a professional surfer, chasing waves and identity along the Australian coastline. In the water, he found freedom from the constraints of belonging that often shadowed his youth. “I’ve always been too white to be black and too black to be white,” he reflects. “Surfing gave me a safe space — it allowed me to be whoever I wanted or needed to be.”

Today, that deep, physical relationship with the ocean anchors his creative process. Channelling the same spiritual connection that carries him across a wave, he taps into a meditative flow state when painting. It’s a practice that continues to guide him through the highs and lows of life. “It helps ground me and get me out of my head,” he says.

For Carey, painting began as a private form of healing. After years of navigating racism and depression, he turned to art to make sense of his experiences. “By mid-2015, it had become a way of self-discovery,” he says. “And as I learnt who I was, I began to use painting to share my cultural stories and spiritual connections to Country and family.”

By 2016 Carey was exhibiting publicly; what began as therapeutic had become both a calling and a vocation. Over time, he says, his work hasn’t so much evolved as refined itself, growing in clarity as he has grown in self-understanding. His works are layered with personal and ancestral meaning — the meeting of water and wind, the whispers of ancestors and totems. He speaks of the importance of solitude on Country, of standing barefoot in the surf and listening to what needs to be said. “Listening to the waves, or the wind pass through the bush, is a powerful way to hear what needs to be heard,” he says.

That quiet listening has carried Carey far beyond the coastlines of his childhood. Collaborations with global names such as Christian Louboutin and Chris Hemsworth have placed his work on the world stage, yet his focus remains grounded in cultural integrity and creative exchange. The Louboutin project, in particular, proved transformative. “Seeing my art on those functional mediums helped me work toward getting my own design house launched,” he says.

Next month, Carey and his wife Sophie will launch Ngaarlu — meaning “water” in Gumbaynggirr language — a design house born from the same creative spirit that drives his painting. Their first project, a series of seven woven blankets, combines traditional storytelling with contemporary form. Each design will be released in a limited run, with part of the proceeds supporting Indigenous organisations Kulai Preschool and The Returning. “They’re both incredible organisations doing amazing things for our communities,” Carey says.

Now based on Bundjalung Country near Mullumbimby, Carey feels the pull of the mountains as much as the sea. His connection to the region runs deep — his grandfather was one of the last traditionally initiated men on Mount Warning — and his roots, both ancestral and familial, continue to shape his work. As a father of three, Carey sees his role extending far beyond the studio. Becoming a parent at twenty-one shaped his sense of purpose, teaching him to live for more than himself. Every decision, he says, is made with the next generation in mind, to help them achieve their goals without the obstacles he faced.

Despite accolades including the Wynne Landscape Prize finalist and GQ Artist of the Year, Carey remains quietly grounded. “I often forget those things even happened,” he admits. “I don’t paint for recognition. I paint to heal, to honour culture, and to give back to community.”

That spirit of giving back recently saw him named the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day Ambassador, a role that reflects both his values and his view of fatherhood. “I put my kids at the forefront of everything I do,” he says. “We don’t realise how often our babies feel left out — they don’t need much from us, just our time.”

For Carey, art is not an endpoint but an ever-flowing current — one that carries stories, renews spirit, and connects generations. In the rhythm of brush against canvas, as in the rhythm of waves, he keeps listening. And somewhere within that rhythm, he finds what the water remembers.

@otishopecarey