John Barsa was born in 1965 in Murray (Mer) Island where he lived until his sudden death in January 2018. He was a Meriam elder from Mer (Murray) Island and a master craftsman.

John was from the Magaram people, one of the 8 Meuram tribes on Mer Island. He was a weaver, carver and dhoeri maker and completely immersed in his Torres Strait Islander culture. A gentle soul who never married, he lived with his sister and mother on Mer. He collaborated on many projects, among them :

2017 Publication of 'Dancing with the Stars- astronomy and music in the Torres Strait' with Duane Hamacher, Alo Tapim and Segar Passi.

2007 Tradition Murray  (Mer) Island costumes (with Alice Day) for Bangarra Dance Theatre's Emeret Lu (Very Old Things), their production of True Stories.

COLLECTIONS :

National Museum of Australia, Canberra

National Gallery of Victoria

Queensland Art Gallery