The exhibition ‘Embodied Knowledge’ may have closed, however you can still delve into our video archive of Queensland contemporary art and artists from the far north, the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait Islands to Moreton Bay and surrounding Brisbane. ‘Embodied Knowledge: Queensland Contemporary Art’ journeys through the state’s vast artistic landscape, discovering works of…
Obery Sambo comes from a long line of master mask- and headdress‑makers from Mer (Murray Island), home to the Meriam people of the eastern Torres Strait. In addition to producing customary headdresses from the region, Sambo creates experimental interpretations of masks and headwear that are often activated through dance by the Meuram Murray Island Dance…
Continue reading » “Obery Sambo creates unique responses to Meriam spirit guardians & medicine men”
Indigenous Australian objects and remains were removed from their resting places and collected by museums throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In To know and possess 2021 (illustrated), which adopts the commemorative trope of the bronze plaque, Kamilaroi artist Warraba Weatherall highlights this history, and the debate that continues around repatriation, for contemporary audiences. ARTWORK…
Continue reading » “Intimately sized plaques allude to public memorials”
For Tracing inscriptions 2020/22, a purpose-built plotter printer is programmed by Robert Andrew to trace an undisclosed Yawuru text in Latin script, activating strings stretching over viewers’ heads that connect to the branches and rocks opposite. Without ink, the traced letters and words are left invisible and undisclosed to the viewer. The artist seeks to…
Continue reading » “Swinging branches & rocks build up a visible residue”
The desire to ‘climb the ladder’ of the social and economic order is humorously questioned by Justene Williams in The Vertigoats 2021. Lurid department-store shelving and vivid mannequins create the mood of a hyped-up retail environment. Williams distorts the mannequins’ limbs to draw attention to the ridiculousness of the ideal body propagated by the fashion…
Flashes of distant memories and glimpses of recent events are conjured by Jenny Watson in Private views and rear visions 2021–22. These pictures are taken from Watson’s personal recollections, ranging from treasured familial interactions to daydreams and unexceptional everyday occurrences. Horses and lone women are hallmarks of the artist’s practice and, within the various scenes…
Continue reading » “Personal recollections: Distant memories & recent events”
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.