A MURRIALITY
October 22–December 23, 2022
420 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley
Brisbane Queensland 4006
Australia
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm
T +61 7 3252 5750
ima@ima.org.au
The Institute of Modern Art (IMA) presents renowned Waanyi artist Gordon Hookey’s first survey exhibition, A MURRIALITY.
Hookey’s work is best known for its biting satire of Australian culture and politics, witty critique of racism, and exploration of oral- and image-based history-making traditions. Across sculpture, printmaking, video and large-scale painting, A MURRIALITY presents perspectives on historical and contemporary issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through the lens of his lived experience as a Murri person, Hookey addresses issues of land rights, environmental destruction, institutional violence, human rights abuses, systemic racism and police corruption.
Charting over three decades of bold practice and featuring over twenty key works from the artist’s career, the exhibition includes works from Hookey’s studio archive and a significant new commission of eight protest-style banners. Drawing inspiration from banners Hookey made for use in the public realm at Invasion Day marches and rallies recognising Aboriginal resistance fighter Dundalli in 2020, the new commission provides timely socio-political commentary while also imagining a truly empowered Indigenous future.
A MURRIALITY is co-curated by José Da Silva, Director, UNSW Galleries, and Liz Nowell, Director, IMA.
An accompanying exhibition publication featuring writing by Shannon Brett, Jax Compton, José Da Silva, Gordon Hookey, Bruce Johnson McLean, Liz Nowell and Pablo José Ramírez will be published in late 2022 and is available for pre-order.
This project is developed in partnership with UNSW Galleries, where the exhibition was presented from 30 July–2 October 2022, and is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Queensland, Gordon Darling Foundation, IMA Commissioners Circle and UNSW Commissioners Circle.