By SolutionWire
A group exhibition featuring the work of contemporary Aboriginal artists opens at QUT Art Museum on 7 March and takes a fresh look at 2020 and the 250th anniversary of the arrival of James Cook in Australia.
Curated by Shannon Brett, descendant of south east Queensland’s Wakka Wakka, Butchulla and Gurang Gurang peoples, Rite of Passage aims to reframe the way Australia’s history is viewed.
Reframing the way that we perceive this year in our history, the exhibition showcases the strength of autobiographical work by eleven contemporary Aboriginal artists from across Australia: Glennys Briggs, Megan Cope, Nici Cumpston, Karla Dickens, Julie Gough, Lola Greeno, Leah King-Smith, Jenna Lee, Carol McGregor, Mandy Quadrio, and Judy Watson.
Brett said the exhibition posits 2020 as a key turning point – a transition from the past, towards a future that respects Aboriginality and validates the sovereignty of Aboriginal people. The artists carry the fire of a continuing culture and pave the way for tomorrow.
“A rite of passage marks an important stage in someone’s life, or death – a transition. During a time not so long ago, the Aboriginal population of this country transitioned from a free civilisation to a nation conquered,” Brett said.