An Antipodean icon, Reg Mombassa—also known as Chris O’Doherty—occupies a rare cultural space, equally influential as artist, musician and designer. One of Australia’s most collected and instantly recognisable contemporary figures, his work is worn, loved and collected by audiences ranging from Patrick White to Elton John.

In 'Advance Mambo', Mombassa gives the Australian coat of arms a well-earned smoko. The kangaroo and emu, liberated from their heraldic duties, pause to share a can of beer—mateship made literal, national symbols rendered delightfully off-duty. Instantly recognisable and sharply funny, the drawing captures Mombassa’s gift for colliding the iconic with the absurd. Executed in coloured pencil and black crayon, the hand-drawn immediacy keeps the work loose, lively and disarmingly charming.

Humour does the heavy lifting here. With a wink rather than a wagging finger, Mombassa invites us to laugh at ourselves—at our myths, our rituals, and our fondness for not taking them too seriously. Advance Mambo is a compact, cheerful subversion: unmistakably Australian, slightly irreverent, and proof that even the coat of arms enjoys a cold one now and then.

Reg MOMBASSA (1951 - )
'Advance Mambo'
coloured pencil and black crayon on paper
Image Size: 43 x 33 cm
Dimensions: 69 x 56 cm
Signed: Signed lower right 'Reg Mombassa'

Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.

(c) The Artist or Assignee