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Known for political commentary in his work, the Brisbane-based visual artist James Hillier was shocked to learn he could face jail time for some of his designs.

Hillier, who goes by the name Nordacious, said he had removed three artworks relating to Palestine from his website after police told him some of his pieces allegedly violated Queensland’s new hate speech laws.

The artist said police called him on 25 March, two weeks after the state became the first in Australia to outlaw the slogans “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”, both of which are used to show solidarity with Palestine.

The Crisafulli government’s controversial hate speech laws make expressing or publishing the slogans – if doing so would “menace, harass or offend” – punishable with up to two years in prison.

The phrase “from the river to the sea”, which references the land between the Jordan river (which borders eastern Israel) and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, is often accompanied by the words “Palestine will be free”.

“Globalise the intifada” references an Arabic word that translates to uprising or “shaking off” – two uprisings against Israel in the past four decades are known as the first and second intifada.

While there are different interpretations of both phrases, some members of the Jewish community object to them altogether. For Palestinians and their supporters they can represent resistance against oppression, but many Jewish groups and leaders see them as a call to violence against people of their faith.

Hillier, who often uses his nostalgic, pop-art influenced aesthetic to reflect on popular culture and politics, said he arrived at work on Wednesday to see a missed call from the police.

“I rang them back immediately and they informed me that someone had flagged or made a formal complaint about my artworks,” he told Guardian Australia on Saturday.

“They didn’t [identify] any specific piece – they said some of my artworks had allegedly been in violation of the new laws.”

Hillier said while he had made several works in support of Palestinian liberation, only one “even came close” to incorporating “from the river to the sea” in full, in a drawing depicting a woman with the phrase printed on her singlet.

He said that drawing was based on a photo of the first person in Queensland to be arrested under the new hate speech laws. Hillier said he removed that artwork, along with two others, from his website and sought legal advice.

Another of the artworks Hillier removed, seen by Guardian Australia, depicts the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, pressing his finger on to a map of the state emblazoned with the words: “From Brisbane River, to Moreton Bay: I’ll decide what you can say”.

The other is a colourful headshot style drawing of the Australian singer John Farnham with a watermelon cocktail beside the words “River to the Sea”, which Hillier said was a play on the chorus from the 1990s hit Two Strong Hearts.

The line from the famous duet with Olivia Newton-John runs: “We’ve got two strong hearts. Reaching out forever like a river to the sea”.

Hillier said he drew the works depicting Crisafulli and Farnham before the new hate speech laws were passed and “was just making commentary on what was unfolding”.

“I’m obviously trying to seek clarity as to what the parameters are of this law,” he said.

“Apparently it’s still quite vague and deferential in its application. It’s not just those direct words but similar words and similar phrases that could be interpreted as being connected to that banned phrase.”

Hillier said he believed that the matter had been resolved as he’d cooperated with police by taking the artworks down, but that he was continuing to seek legal advice.

“I want to continue being someone who unwaveringly advocates for Palestine, [while] at the same time treading very cautiously in this very precarious legal context,” he said.

“I think it’s a deeply sad place for Australia, for our democracy. Art’s always been the place that political truths can be shared.”

Queensland police said they were investigating a complaint in relation to the reference of prohibited expressions featured on artwork displayed online, and that the matter was ongoing. They added that they were now separately aware of a mural in south Brisbane with similar imagery, which they were investigating further.

“The QPS strongly condemn anyone who incites hatred within our community – there is no place for it,” a spokesperson for the force said.

“QPS supports legislation which prioritises community safety.”